The present study contends with the commodification and decadence of Hellenism and paideia (intellectual and cultural sophistication) during the Second Sophistic. It charts the path that Hellenism took from an esoteric ethnic essence to a universal and inclusive ethic. Given this inclusiveness, anyone in the empire who adopted a paideutic character had the chance of becoming a "Hellene," especially sophists. Upon establishing an ecumenical Hellenism, competition for audiences with other forms of entertainment compelled sophists to adopt a more theatrical lecture style, where the aesthetics of performance were more important than edification, and laid the foundation for commodification. The socio-political Roman context encouraged dissembling, actively commodifying the role of the sophist and philosopher. In the end, the empty pleasures of spectacle allowed for a new moral code to adopt and adapt Greek philosophic education, heralding a slow decay of ancient Hellenism. / L'étude présentée ici discute la marchandisation et la décadence de l'Hellénisme et de la paideia durant la Seconde Sophistique. L'essence de l'Hellénisme a dû changer d'une ethnique ésotérique à une éthique universelle et inclusive. La compétition pour une audience obligea les sophistes à adopter un style de cours davantage théâtral, dans lequel les apparences et le divertissement étaient plus importants que l'enseignement. Le contexte socio-politique romain encouragea également la dissimulation en marchandant activement le rôle du sophiste et du philosophe. À la fin, les plaisirs superflus du spectacle permirent à un nouveau code moral d'adopter et d'adapter une éducation philosophique grecque, annonçant un lent déclin de l'Hellénisme ancien.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.119611 |
| Date | January 2013 |
| Creators | Hunter, Darren |
| Contributors | Anastassios Anastassiadis (Internal/Supervisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Arts (Department of History and Classical Studies) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | Electronically-submitted theses. |
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