In modern usage, "sophism", "sophist" and "sophistry" are used disparagingly. A sophism is a fallacious argument, especially one used deliberately to deceive. A sophism is a specious argument for displaying ingenuity in reasoning or for deceiving someone. Socrates's response is a sophism that puts Plato in a difficult situation. Sophism approached rhetoric as an art form. Rhetoric is stripped on the ground and tied by sophism. Sophism arose from the juxtaposition of "physis" (nature) and "nomos" (law). With much wit, the self-contradictory nature of Fischer's criticism of sophism is exposed. Her work centers on Sophism and rhetoric, and their relation to philosophy. The three main centers of sophism lay east of the imperial capital of Rome.