The field of rhetoric has recently begun to position the Sophists as an integral part of the history of the discipline. Sophistic influence has been acknowledged in other fields as well, particularly philosophy and literary theory; however, Sophistic influence on political theory has been virtually ignored. This thesis examines the epistemology of the Sophists within the context of the debates of ancient Greece, and illustrates the connections between Sophistic thought and the ideology behind the structuring of the American federal government. Specific connections are made between the epistemology of the Sophists and that expressed in The Federalist, as well as that of earlier political theorists Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. / Department of English

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Catholic University of America, 1921. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 7).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Catholic University of America, 1921. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 7).

The prequel to Plato’s Sophist, the Theaetetus, ends with the unanswered question, what is the logos (discursive account, reasoning) appropriate to knowledge? How can one distinguish it from the logos that lacks knowledge? This dissertation argues that the Sophist, through an inquiry of what the sophist is, is a response to that question. This response consists in three basic claims. First, logos forms the heart of inquiry, that is, the ascent from ignorance to knowledge. That ascent consists in logos repeatedly articulating what one understands at a given moment and then examining that articulation from different perspectives. The dialogue shows how the interlocutors’ initial understanding of the sophist is constantly refuted, refined, challenged, and qualified after being articulated. Second, the cognitive powers of perceiving, judging, and thinking all have the structure of logos, and are presented as stages in the ascent. That is, stage one shows the interlocutors’ perceptions of the sophist; stage two, their judgment of him; and stage three, what they think of him. Each stage gradually approaches knowledge without being identical to it. Finally, this absence of identity suggests that logos is necessary but perhaps insufficient for the ascent to knowledge. The process of inquiry, as shown in the Sophist, gestures towards knowledge as a state of mind that is both internally self-consistent and holds beliefs that allow the knower to be “in touch with” the world (a relation that Plato calls “truth”). Logos is insufficient for knowledge for two reasons. First, while capable of achieving a self-consistent state of mind, it does not guarantee that its results will be true of the world. Nor, moreover, can it replace the personal experience that is equally necessary for knowledge. The dialogue suggests this latter point by concluding with a correct definition (logos) of the sophist that is misunderstood by one of the interlocutors (Theaetetus) due to his lack of experience. These limits of logos suggest that the Sophist presents Plato’s self-critique of both the possibility and desirability of the philosophical dream of grasping the world in its purely “logical” aspects.

BRAZIL, Vicente Thiago Freire. A temática do homoerotismo e do feminino nos cinco primeiros encômios do banquete platônico. 2017. 206f. Tese (Doutorado) - Universidade Federal do Ceará, Pós-Graduação em Filosofia, Fortaleza (CE), 2017. / Submitted by sebastiao barroso (jrwizard2209@hotmail.com) on 2017-09-25T18:36:55Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2017_tese_vtfbrazil.pdf: 1818636 bytes, checksum: 8d4662a33bcde5523ad45303e5c01416 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Márcia Araújo (marcia_m_bezerra@yahoo.com.br) on 2017-09-26T11:14:21Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2017_tese_vtfbrazil.pdf: 1818636 bytes, checksum: 8d4662a33bcde5523ad45303e5c01416 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-09-26T11:14:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2017_tese_vtfbrazil.pdf: 1818636 bytes, checksum: 8d4662a33bcde5523ad45303e5c01416 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017 / This research aims at the object of the analysis and discussion of the first five speeches that comprise one of the most celebrated Platonic dialogues, The Symposium. Among the justifications that can be presented for the detailed examination of these praises is the fact that they bring a strong proleptic load with respect to the panegyric of Socrates; the treatment that tradition grants them, in a general way, relegates them to an investigative inattention. This is due to the strong centrality that is attributed to the speech of the philosopher, in contraposition to the superficial judgement which is made of the praises of the others as non-philosophical enunciations. However, there is a huge wealth conteudal that Plato deposits in each of the praises of Eros proferred by the symposiasts preceding the philosopher of Athens. Admitting this wealth, the present work will focus on the analysis of two very striking aspects in the culture of classical Greece, which seem to oppose each other. However, in the course of dialogue, they undergo a resignification process through a philosophical approach promoted by Plato. It's homoeroticism and feminine. It will be demonstrated that during the development of the dramatic scene of The Symposium, these themes, of public domain and, perhaps so, impregnated by the doxa, are revisited by Plato through a philosophical education. Finally, in a continuous movement throughout this survey, it will become apparent that the text of The Symposium is also a platonic effort to denounce, take ownership and overcome the theses sophisties – especially those concerning the paideia sophistry –, richly present in all the top five praises to Eros and therefore as an inevitable consequence, as will be pointed out, also in the speech of Socrates. / A presente pesquisa tem como objetivo central a análise e discussão dos cinco primeiros discursos que compõem um dos mais célebres diálogos platônicos, O Banquete. Dentre as justificativas que podem ser apresentadas para o exame pormenorizado desses encômios está o fato de que os mesmos trazem consigo uma forte carga proléptica com relação ao panegírico de Sócrates; o trato que a tradição concede aos mesmos, de maneira geral, relega-os a uma desatenção investigativa. Isto se deve à forte centralidade que se atribui à fala do filósofo, em contraposição ao julgamento superficial que se faz dos encômios dos demais convivas como enunciados não-filosóficos. Entretanto, há uma enorme riqueza conteudal que Platão deposita em cada um dos louvores a Eros proferidos pelos simposiastas que antecedem o Filósofo de Atenas. Admitindo essa riqueza, o presente trabalho privilegiará a análise de dois aspectos muito marcantes na cultura da Grécia Clássica, os quais parecem opor-se entre si. Contudo, no decorrer do diálogo, passam por um processo de ressignificação por meio de uma abordagem filosófica promovida por Platão. Trata-se do homoerotismo e do feminino. Demonstrar-se-á que, durante o desenvolvimento da cena dramática do Banquete, estas temáticas, de domínio público e, talvez por isso, impregnadas pela doxa, são revisitadas por Platão através de uma educação filosófica. Por fim, num movimento contínuo durante toda esta pesquisa, tornar-se-á evidente que o texto do Banquete constitui-se, também, como um esforço platônico de denunciar, apropriar-se e superar as teses sofísticas – de modo especial aquelas relativas à paidéia sofística –, ricamente presentes em todos os cinco primeiros elogios a Eros e, por isso, como consequência inevitável, como será apontado, também no discurso de Sócrates.

Tradução e estudo dos discursos para Demônico, para Nícocles, Nícocles, e Evágoras de Isócrates. A introdução se concentra na relação de Isócrates com a tradição poética grega. / Translation and study of the speeches to Demonicus, to Nicocles, Nicocles, and Evagoras of Isocrates. The introduction focuses on Isocrates\' use of the Greek poetic tradition.

Claudius Aelianus was recognized by Philostratus and the author of the Suda as a participant in the literary and intellectual movement of the Second Sophistic. Philostratus' biographical sketch in the Lives of the Sophists, however, makes it clear that Aelian did not perform publicly as did the other sophists whom Philostratus described; Aelian's retiring and scholarly nature is emphasized by Philostratus, who implies that Aelian's choice of literature over performance followed a pattern established by Demosthenes and Cicero. Most scholarship on the Varia Historia during the past 150 years addresses the question how Aelian made his collection, i.e. what sources he accessed. This directly reflects modern use of the Varia Historia as a quarry from which to mine information about the ancient world. Such scholarship must conclude that Aelian was not a modern research scholar with the goals, techniques, and readership of the modern "scientific" historian. What then were his goals, techniques, and readership? The Varia Historia cannot be fairly assessed without taking into account its membership in the genre of the miscellany. The Imperial miscellanist concerns himself with a specific subset of traditional literature: the material which supplements the standard literary education and may be termed polymathic. The miscellanist assumes a readership with whom he shares certain educative goals: specifically, further detailed education in literature beyond the primary level, including further work in the encyclic artes and a general increase in detailed information "for its own sake." Because the miscellanist adopts the stance of a mature amateur scholar gathering data for a younger reader, he reveals a patronizing tone in his collection. The data the miscellanist offers his reader is presented in a manner characterized by rroiKiXia or "variety"; as such it reflects the Imperial attitude toward the cultured person's correct use of leisure. An analysis of passages from the Varia Historia reveals that Aelian conceives his reader as a young person currently in the process of acquiring paideia. In his miscellany Aelian has provided this reader with material that conveys a moral message at the same time that it provides models of the correct way to respond to traditional literature. / Arts, Faculty of / Classical, Near Eastern and Religious Studies, Department of / Graduate

Satire might not inspire physical action—the physical act of picking up a sign to picket the government—but it moves an audience towards a state of mental action by confronting audiences with the interdictions and iniquities it fears the most. The rhetorical qualities of satire need to be acknowledged to fully understand how satire functions. To look at an example of contemporary satire, like The Onion, and see how it functions as a tool to create knowledge, three concepts can be borrowed from the rhetorical tradition: (1) Plato’s dialectic as a rhetorical model for Donald Griffin’s “Rhetoric of inquiry and provocation” ; (2) Aristotle’s means of persuasion and Han Tzu’s recognition of the imbalanced power-dynamics inherent in discussing dissentient views to see how satire’s audience and its controversial or unmentionable content is inextricably intertwined, making humor a satirist’s primary mean of persuasion; and lastly, (3) the Sophists’ understanding of situational truths and how it informs the cultural standards and institutions that satire contends. A satirist wishes to create, through the use of laughter, a space for questioning the worst qualities of society and humanity, provoking inward reflection in order to challenge the cultural rationalization that informs societal behavior.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Catholic University of America. / Vita. "Select bibliography": p. [v]-vii.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Baylor University, 2008. / Bibliographic references (p. 157-158)