Module CLAS2821: Greek Rhetoric and Greek Philosophy

Department: Classics and Ancient History

CLAS2821: Greek Rhetoric and Greek Philosophy

Prerequisites

• CLAS1601 Remembering Athens or a Philosophy module at Level 1 or an English Studies module at Level 1 or CLAS1101 Early Greek Philosophy or CLAS1751 Ancient Philosophers on Memory and Recollection or CLAS1541 Intermediate Greek 1A or CLAS1551 Intermediate Greek 1B

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• To provide students with knowledge of a series of notorious rhetorical speeches by some of the most important rhetors and orators of Greek classical age – mainly Gorgias, Isocrates, Alcidamas, Lysias, and Demosthenes – and which are representative of the three traditionally recognised kinds of rhetoric: epideictic, judicial, and deliberative.
• To promote the study of ancient philosophy by instructing students on how two of the most influential ancient philosophers, Plato and Aristotle, conceived of rhetoric. In particular, one of the aims of the module is to stimulate students in Classics to study ancient philosophy by showing them how strongly interrelated classics and philosophy texts are and also the importance of the philosophical ‘treatment’ of a literary genre, rhetoric, which will be at the centre of their Degree Programmes.
• To provide students with knowledge of how Plato conceived of rhetoric, its nature and function, and of how and why he criticized it, and of how philosophy was supposed to be an alternative to it.
• To introduce students to the basic ideas concerning Aristotle’s conception and treatment of rhetoric and to show them how they differed crucially from Plato’s.
• To facilitate students’ reading of various kinds of texts: oratorical speeches of different kinds (epideictic, judicial, and deliberative), the unique type of literary and philosophical text that a Platonic dialogue is, a treatise on rhetoric such as Aristotle’s.
• To enable students to think analytically and critically about some key (philosophical and non-philosophical) ancient texts, issues, debates. This includes empowering them to assess arguments occurring in the set texts and through that also their own arguments when writing essays and engaging in similar activities. .

Content

• Principal set texts: Extracts from Homeric poems (mainly the Iliad), Gorgias’ Encomium of Helen, Isocrates’ Encomium of Helen, Isocrates’ Against the Sophists, Alcidamas’ On the Sophists, Plato’s Gorgias, Thucydides II 34-46, Plato’s Menexenus, Lysias’ On the Murder of Eratosthenes and Against Eratosthenes, Plato’s Apology, Demosthenes’ Olynthiac I, Aristotle’s Rhetoric I.
• We will investigate the birth of rhetoric in ancient Greece and the different ways in which rhetoric developed in classical Greece, by looking at exemplary texts for each of the three traditionally recognised kinds of rhetoric: epideictic, forensic, and deliberative. In parallel, we will look at how two of the most influential philosophers of classical antiquity, Plato and Aristotle, came to conceive of rhetoric, its nature and function. In particular, we will examine extracts from Gorgias’ Encomium of Helen, Isocrates’ Encomium of Helen, and Pericles’ funeral oration as reported by Thucydides (II 34-46) as examples of epideictic praising speeches, and extracts from Isocrates’ Against the Sophists and Alcidamas’ On the Sophists as examples of epideictic criticizing speeches; extracts from Lysias’ On the Murder of Eratosthenes and Against Eratosthenes as examples of forensic speeches (a defence one and one used for accusing); extracts from Demosthenes’ Olynthiac I as example of a deliberative speech. In parallel, we will explore Plato’s and Aristotle’s treatment of and reaction to rhetoric in its various forms: we will examine extracts from Plato’s Gorgias and Menexenus as far as Plato’s conception, use and criticisms of epideictic rhetoric (both as used by sophists and as used by Athenians in funeral orations) is concerned, and extracts from the Apology as far as Plato’s conception, use and criticisms of forensic rhetoric is concerned. For each of the three kinds of rhetoric we will also look at Aristotle’s treatment of them in the Rhetoric (mainly in Book I); this will allow us to compare and contrast Aristotle’s views on rhetoric with Plato’s, and also to reconsider the speeches previously analysed in the light of Aristotle’s theoretical discussion. The course will aim at providing students with a solid understanding of the central themes of the abovementioned texts. In particular, we will discuss how rhetoric came about; the importance of speeches in Greek culture since the archaic period; the development of rhetoric with the Sophistic movement; the peculiarities of the different kinds of rhetorical speeches; Gorgias’ ideas of words as a powerful means of persuasion; Plato’s criticisms of such a view of rhetoric because it is a mere means of bad persuasion, unable to convey knowledge, and of the rhetorician because he is someone who merely appears to possess knowledge of justice and of the other virtues (being akin to the sophist); the formula of Athenians funeral orations and how and why Plato satirises them; the topoi of forensic speeches and how these are echoed in Socrates’ speech as portrayed by Plato in the Apology; the typical features of deliberative speeches as embodied in Demosthenes’ speeches; Aristotle’s suggestion that rhetoric is an expertise, in contrast to Plato’s view according to which it is not, and his theoretical discussion of the three kinds of rhetoric and of the various means to achieve persuasion in the audience. The interrelated examination of the texts will also show the peculiarity of Plato’s approach to rhetoric, both in its medium (he did not write a treatise on them, but dialogues in which the discussion of rhetoric is often embedded in wider contexts) and in its content (the questions that we would typically expect to be addressed in a discussion of rhetoric are often not the focus of Plato’s discussion), and how this differed from Aristotle who, on the contrary, did write a treatise on rhetoric. The course will close with a brief overview of Plato’s idea that philosophical discourse is true rhetoric. Rhetoric is importantly contrasted to philosophy: which of them offers us the correct world-view? Which of them tells us the truth about nature, happiness, virtue? Which of them correctly instructs us on how to live justly? Building on the analysis of both rhetorical and philosophical texts, we will consider whether and how rhetoric opposes to philosophy and examine the reasons why, in Plato’s view, we should prefer the system of values philosophy offers us rather than the one rhetoric does.

Learning Outcomes

• Knowledge of the main features of rhetorical speeches in Classical Greece and of key texts representative of the three traditionally recognised kinds of rhetoric: epideictic, forensic, deliberative (cf. below).
• Knowledge of Plato’s main view on rhetoric, its nature and function, and of his criticisms of it.
• Knowledge of Aristotle’s main view on rhetoric, its nature and function.
• Knowledge of the main phases of the historical development of rhetoric in the archaic and classical Greece.
• Understanding of the issues concerning the reading of different texts such as various types of orations, Platonic dialogues, and Aristotle’s treatises.
• Knowledge of the issues concerning the relationship between the actual rhetorical tradition and the way in which it is addressed in Platonic dialogues and in Aristotle’s Rhetoric.
• Knowledge of the structure and content of some exemplary rhetorical speeches such as Gorgias’ Encomium of Helen, Isocrates’ Encomium of Helen, Isocrates’ Against the Sophists, Alcidamas’ On the Sophists, Pericles’ funeral oration as reported in Thucydides II 34-46, Lysias’ On the Murder of Eratosthenes and Against Eratosthenes, Demosthenes’ Olynthiac I.
• Knowledge of the structure and content of some key philosophical ancient texts about classical rhetoric such as Plato’s Gorgias, Plato’s Menexenus, Plato’s Apology, and Aristotle’s Rhetoric.
• Critical knowledge of how the scrutinized texts interact with one another: e.g. how do certain passages portraying different uses of public speeches in Homeric poems relate to subsequent development of rhetoric production? How do the Encomium of Helen by Gorgias compare with the one by Isocrates? Is On the Sophists by Alcidamas a response to Against the Sophists by Isocrates? How are Gorgias’ and the sophists’ views on rhetoric assessed in the Gorgias by Plato? How is Pericles’ funeral oration as reported by Thucydides echoed in the funeral speech delivered by Socrates in Plato’s Menexenus? How are forensic speeches such as Lysias’ ones echoed in Plato’s Apology? Can we analyse Gorgias’, Isocrates’, Lysias’ and Demosthenes’ speeches according to Aristotle’s theoretical discussion in his Rhetoric? Does this discussion improve our understanding of those speeches?
• Knowledge of the following specific topics: the birth of rhetoric; the importance of speeches in Greek culture; the development of rhetoric with the Sophistic movement; the peculiarities of the different kinds of rhetorical speeches; Gorgias’ ideas of words as a powerful means of persuasion; Plato’s distinction between good and bad persuasion and how this shapes his criticism against rhetoric; Plato’s conception of sophistry and how this relates to rhetoric; Plato’s key moral ideas and how these shape the criticism against rhetoric as useless for human beings; the formula of Athenians funeral orations and how and why Plato satirises them; the topoi of forensic speeches and how these are echoed in Socrates’ speech as portrayed by Plato in the Apology; the typical features of deliberative speeches as embodied in Demosthenes’ speeches; Aristotle’s suggestion that rhetoric is an expertise and his theoretical discussion of the three kinds of rhetoric and of the various means to achieve persuasion; Plato’s idea that philosophical discourse is true rhetoric;
• Knowledge of the idea that philosophy suggests a new manner of life (and how it does so) in contrast to other models such as the one suggested by rhetoric.

• The capacity to identify lines of arguments both in rhetorical speeches of different kinds and in difficult and intricate texts such as Plato’s dialogues and Aristotle’s Rhetoric and to assess them appropriately.
• The capacity to argue for a certain interpretation of a rhetorical speech or of section of a Platonic dialogue or a passage from Aristotle’s Rhetoric by using as primary evidence other sections of the same text and other related ancient texts.
• The capacity to be able to use secondary literature selectively and critically in reading rhetorical speeches, Platonic and Aristotelian texts and in shaping interpretations of them.

• The ability to present a clearly written, well structured and well researched argument in written form.
• The ability to understand and use secondary literature effectively.
• The ability to think critically and independently, displayed both in oral and in written form.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Lectures will give factual information and examples of (1) how to read ancient texts analytically, in particular rhetorical speeches, Aristotle’s works, and the peculiar texts of Platonic dialogues, and think critically about them, (2) how to make use of primary and secondary literature, and (3) how to structure an argument orally and in writing.
• Seminars will be used for in-depth scrutiny of key sections of the texts, thus further providing the students with the capacity of reading an ancient rhetorical and philosophical text analytically. The seminars will be structured around a 20-minute presentation by two students at a time, followed by group discussion, to enable students to develop skills in oral argumentation and to engage in collaborative work.
• Tutorials will be used to support preparation for formative assignments and to provide feedback on them.
• Formative Assessment will be by means of one essay and one commentary on a section of text, so as to prepare the students for the final exam which consists of both essays and commentary.
• Further Formative Assessment will be through short but accurate questionnaires done in class in order to better assess and monitor the students’ gradual proper progresses – this coursework will receive feedback, but will not form part of the students’ assessment.
• Summative Assessment will be by essay and examination (consisting of two essay questions and one commentary), which will test the students’ ability to think critically about broader problems, to analyse specific texts, and to use secondary literature appropriately.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

One Formative Commentary (max 1,500 words) in week 3. One Formative Essay (max 2,500 words) in week 6.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University