CICERO'S CRITICISM OF STOIC RHETORIC (original) (raw)
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The Stoicism of the Ideal Orator: Cicero's Hellenistic Ideal
2011
This reading of De Oratore uses Stoic philosophy and rhetoric to trace out a complex Ciceronian theory of rhetoric. Cicero rejected Stoic style, labeling it as meager and unpersuasive. However, he coalesced Stoic philosophy with Greek rhetoric to produce his ideal orator. Cicero described eloquentia as natural public speech that was distinctive to every person, yet he also explained how eloquence, like wisdom, unified aspects of the entire universe. Through these connections, Stoic influences enabled Cicero to negotiate major questions concerning rhetoric, such as the emotional control of the orator, the virtue of eloquence, and the status of rhetoric as an art. Cicero's negotiation is productive of a theory of rhetoric that is useful today, especially as it holds speech and public action as important and fundamental acts of human individuality.
Stoic rhetoric between technique and philosophy : the example of Diogenes of Babylon
F. Woerther (éd.), Literary and Philosophical Rhetoric in the Greek, Roman, Syriac, and Arabic Worlds, Hildesheim, Olms, 2009, p. 95-117
Sophie Aubert (Paris XIII University) : « Stoic rhetoric between technique and philosophy : the example of Diogenes of Babylon » If rhetoric is rarely mentioned in ancient testimonies concerning the philosophers of the Stoa (at least the founders of the school), it plays a substantial part in the general organisation of the system. It is defined as a τέχνη, as shown by Chrysippus' definition, transmitted by Plutarch in his treatise On Stoic Self-contradictions : it is indeed « an art concerned with the ornaments of continuous speech and with its arrangement 1 ». Thus the scholarch gives precepts to the progressor, and not only to the Sage, who is the sole owner of the oratorical ἐπιστήμη. That is why Plutarch offers a longer and more detailed definition than the succinct formula « rhetoric is the science of speaking well ». It is followed immediately by comments on the ornamentation of speech or on its delivery 2 , and mirrors the efforts the Stoics made in order to anchor their philosophical theories in reality, and to take into account the concrete situations the learning orators eager to apply Stoic rhetorical doctrine had to face.
Sophist, Aristotle, and Stoic: Three Concepts of Ancient Rhetoric
Studia Gilsoniana, 2022
This study examines the concepts of rhetoric used in ancient times, using a process of research based upon “Interpretivist Research Philosophy”. Common thinking among rhetoricians and philosophers in general argues that one concept of rhetoric was utilized. This paper argues that there were at least three concepts of rhetoric known in Antiquity. Each was unique in its own right and contributed to what was to be a new body of knowledge. Research conclusions stem from a study of the works of ancient authors, including Plato and Aristotle, and from schools of philosophies, including the writings of Stoics and Sophists. The reviewed literature supports the thesis presented in this paper that at least three concepts of rhetoric were known and used.
The Dregs of Romulus. Stoic Philosophy in Cicero’s Pro Murena and De Oratore
2017
The dregs of Romulus reviews the evidence for Cicero’s attitude toward Stoic philosophy in the speech pro Murena, in letters of 61-60 referring to Cato, and in de oratore. None of these texts expresses any direct opposition to the core postulate of Stoic ethics, viz., that only what is honorable is good for a human being. What we do find in this group of works is a concern that adherence to a dogmatic system of ethics (1) impedes political communication, and (2) strips away the flexibility of application that is required for moral decision-making in complex situations. Cicero’s own stance as a philosophically trained politician is defined accordingly. The dregs of Romulus reviews the evidence for Cicero’s attitude toward Stoic philosophy in the speech pro Murena, in letters of 61-60 referring to Cato, and in de oratore. None of these texts expresses any direct opposition to the core postulate of Stoic ethics, viz., that only what is honorable is good for a human being. What we do fi...
Ciceroʼs Lame Pegasus. Humanists and Classicists on the Poetic Experiments of the Master of Rhetoric
The stereotypical image of Marcus Tullius Cicero as the best orator and the worst poetaster in the history of literature was born as far back as in Antiquity. It swiftly spread with the development of instituted schooling and became an integral part of the portrayal of Graeco-Roman culture, passed down from generation to generation within Western civilization. In the present paper we shall outline the characteristics of the stereotype of Cicero the Poet along with its influence on Classical Studies and humanistic culture writ large. Special focus will be put on extracting the very roots of this stereotype. Furthermore, it will be shown that the particular case of Cicero the Poet ought to be reconsidered in the context of a wider process we have been witnessing in recent times: the disintegration of traditional models which, paradoxically, offers many appealing opportunities for Classical Studies to better understand the past and to develop in new, ground-breaking directions.
2023
In this chapter I discuss how Cicero’s Academic identity shapes the discussion of appropriate actions in De officiis, focusing primarily on how Cicero applies the Academic principle of persuasiveness (probabile) in this work and on the use of Academic dialectical methodology for the discussion of the Stoic theory on appropriate actions, especially in the third book of De officiis.
2014
When Zeno of Citium established the Stoa in Athens around 300 BC, one presumably could not establish a philosophy school without offering a course in rhetoric. Zeno is said to have divided the part of philosophy that concerns logos into two parts, namely dialectics and rhetoric.1 But even from our scanty evidence for early Stoicism, it is clear that the first Stoics were not very interested in rhetoric. In fact it seems that Zeno and his first successors were against rhetoric in the conventional sense, for reasons which I will return to later. This raises some big questions, in particular the question of how Zeno could encourage his students to engage in politics, as we know he did, for which rhetorical skills are crucial, at least in democratic poleis. I do not pretend to answer this question here. I just focus on one fact that I believe can shed some light on this question, namely that a course in Stoic rhetoric seems to have been a course in what we now call lobbying. That is, rh...