Abstract
Thucydides' criticisms of the Athenian democratic system are particularly focused on denouncing the weaknesses of the oratory debate, a privileged instrument of democratic dialectics. The rhetorical nature of language, hidden interests, speakers' lack of education and susceptibility of the audience, are some of the problems raised by Thucydides himself, which resonate in the voices of Pericles, Cleon, and Diodotus. Here we analyze the oppositions, convergences and specificities of the criticisms conveyed by each of these voices, aligned with the fundamental concern of the search for truth.
Translated title of the contribution | Logomachy and the criticism of the athenian democratic rhetoric on Thucydides |
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Original language | Portuguese |
Title of host publication | A poiesis da democracia |
Editors | Breno Battistin Sebastiani, Delfim Leão, Lucia Sano, Martino Soares, Christian Werner |
Place of Publication | Coimbra |
Publisher | Imprensa da Universidade de Coimbra |
Pages | 97-125 |
Number of pages | 29 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9789892616797 |
ISBN (Print) | 9789892616780 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2018 |
Keywords
- Democracy
- Historiography
- Oratory
- Rhetoric
- Thucydides