Sophistication

For other uses, see Sophistication (books) and Sophistication (complexity theory).
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Sophistication refers to the qualities of refinement, good taste, and wisdom. By contrast, its original use was as a pejorative, derived from sophist, and included the idea of admixture or adulteration. Today, as researched by Faye Hammill, it is common as a measure of refinement—displaying good taste, wisdom and subtlety rather than crudeness, stupidity and vulgarity.[1] In the perception of social class, sophistication can be linked with concepts such as status, privilege and superiority.[2]

  1. ^ Hammill, Faye (2010). Sophistication: A Literary and Cultural History.
  2. ^ Firat, A. Fuat; Dholakia, Nikhilesh (2003). Consuming people: from political economy to theaters of consumption. Routledge interpretive marketing research series. Routledge. p. 52. ISBN 978-0-415-31620-0. In every culture ideas develop among the different social classes as to what signifies status, sophistication, privilege, and superiority.