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Aristotle · Rhetoric §2.23.12-2.23.16

Topoi from Authority, Consequences, and Contradictions

Passage 66 of 98 · Greek

Summary

This chunk discusses five topoi of rhetoric with concrete examples: arguments from the judgment of authorities or majority (§12), from the parts of a whole (§13), from accompanying good and bad consequences (§14), from the retortion of opposites (§15), and from the discrepancy between public and private praise (§16).

§2.23.12ἄλλος ἐκ κρίσεως περὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἢ ὁμοίου ἢ ἐναντίου, μάλιστα μὲν εἰ πάντες καὶ ἀεί, εἰ δὲ μή, ἀλλʼ οἵ γε πλεῖστοι, ἢ σοφοὶ ἢ πάντες ἢ οἱ πλεῖστοι, ἢ ἀγαθοί, ἢ εἰ αὐτοὶ οἱ κρίνοντες, ἢ οὓς ἀποδέχονται οἱ κρίνοντες, ἢ οἷς μὴ οἷόν τε ἐναντίον κρίνειν, οἷον τοῖς κυρίοις, ἢ οἷς μὴ καλὸν ἐναντίον κρίνειν, οἷον θεοῖς ἢ πατρὶ ἢ διδασκάλοις, ὥσπερ ὃ εἰς Μιξιδημίδην εἶπεν Αὐτοκλῆς, ταῖς μὲν σεμναῖς θεαῖς καλῶς εἶχεν ἐν Ἀρείῳ πάγῳ δοῦναι τὰ δίκαια, Μιξιδημίδῃ δʼ οὔ.
Another is from judgment concerning the same, or a similar, or an opposite matter, especially if all and always so judge, and if not, at least the majority, or the wise, or all or most of them, or the good; or if the judges themselves so judge, or those whom the judges accept, or those against whom it is not possible to judge contrariwise, such as rulers, or those against whom it is not honorable to judge contrariwise, such as gods, or a father, or teachers. Just as Autocles said against Mixidemides, that it was proper for the Venerable Goddesses to submit to trial on the Areopagus, but not for Mixidemides.
ἢ ὥσπερ Σαπφώ, ὅτι τὸ ἀποθνῄσκειν κακόν· οἱ θεοὶ γὰρ οὕτω κεκρίκασιν· ἀπέθνησκον γὰρ ἄν.
Or as Sappho said, that to die is an evil; for the gods have so judged, since otherwise they would die.
ἢ ὥσπερ Ἀρίστιππος πρὸς Πλάτωνα ἐπαγγελτικώτερόν τι εἰπόντα, ὡς ᾤετο· ἀλλὰ μὴν ὅ γʼ ἑταῖρος ἡμῶν , ἔφη, οὐθὲν τοιοῦτον , λέγων τὸν Σωκράτη, καὶ Ἡγησίπολις ἐν Δελφοῖς ἠρώτα τὸν θεόν, πρότερον κεχρημένος Ὀλυμπίασιν, εἰ αὐτῷ τὰ αὐτὰ δοκεῖ ἅπερ τῷ πατρί, ὡς αἰσχρὸν ὂν τἀναντία εἰπεῖν, καὶ περὶ τῆς Ἑλένης ὡς Ἰσοκράτης ἔγραψεν ὅτι σπουδαία, εἴπερ Θησεὺς ἔκρινεν, καὶ περὶ Ἀλεξάνδρου, ὅτι αἱ θεαὶ προέκριναν, καὶ περὶ Εὐαγόρου, ὅτι σπουδαῖος, ὥσπερ Ἰσοκράτης φησίν· Κόνων γοῦν δυστυχήσας, πάντας τοὺς ἄλλους παραλιπών, ὡς Εὐαγόραν ἦλθεν . §2.23.13ἄλλος ἐκ τῶν μερῶν, ὥσπερ ἐν τοῖς Τοπικοῖς ποία κίνησις ἡ ψυχή·
Or as Aristippus said to Plato when the latter spoke rather boastfully, as he thought: "But indeed our companion," he said, "said nothing of the sort," meaning Socrates. And Hegesipolis at Delphi asked the god, having previously consulted at Olympia, whether he held the same opinion as his father, as it would be shameful to say the opposite. And concerning Helen, as Isocrates wrote, that she is noble, since Theseus judged her so; and concerning Alexander, that the goddesses preferred him; and concerning Evagoras, that he is noble, as Isocrates says: "Conon at least, when he met with misfortune, passing over all others, went to Evagoras." Another is from the parts, as in the *Topics*, what kind of motion the soul is; for it must be either this or that.
ἥδε γὰρ ἢ ἥδε. παράδειγμα ἐκ τοῦ Σωκράτους τοῦ Θεοδέκτου· εἰς ποῖον ἱερὸν ἠσέβηκεν;
An example from the *Socrates* of Theodectes: "Against what temple has he committed impiety?
τίνας θεῶν οὐ τετίμηκεν ὧν ἡ πόλις νομίζει; §2.23.14ἄλλος, ἐπειδὴ ἐπὶ τῶν πλείστων συμβαίνει ὥστε ἕπεσθαί τι τῷ αὐτῷ ἀγαθὸν καὶ κακόν, ἐκ τοῦ ἀκολουθοῦντος προτρέπειν ἢ ἀποτρέπειν, καὶ κατηγορεῖν ἢ ἀπολογεῖσθαι, καὶ ἐπαινεῖν ἢ ψέγειν, οἷον τῇ παιδεύσει τὸ φθονεῖσθαι ἀκολουθεῖ κακὸν ὄν, τὸ δὲ σοφὸν εἶναι ἀγαθόν·
Which of the gods whom the city worships has he not honored?" Another is, since in most cases it happens that both a good and an evil consequence follow the same thing, to exhort or dissuade, to accuse or defend, to praise or blame, on the basis of the consequence. For example, "Envy follows education, which is an evil, but being wise follows, which is a good.
οὐ τοίνυν δεῖ παιδεύεσθαι, φθονεῖσθαι γὰρ οὐ δεῖ· δεῖ μὲν οὖν παιδεύεσθαι, σοφὸν γὰρ εἶναι δεῖ . ὁ τόπος οὗτός ἐστιν ἡ Καλλίππου τέχνη, προσλαβοῦσα τὸ δυνατὸν καὶ τἆλλα ὡς εἴρηται.
Therefore, one must not be educated, for one must not be envied; yet, one must indeed be educated, for one must be wise." This topic is the "Art" of Callippus, when one has added to it feasibility and the other elements as has been mentioned.
§2.23.15ἄλλος, ὅταν περὶ δυοῖν καὶ ἀντικειμένοιν ἢ προτρέπειν ἢ ἀποτρέπειν δέῃ, τῷ πρότερον εἰρημένῳ τρόπῳ ἐπʼ ἀμφοῖν χρῆσθαι.
Another is, when about two opposite things one must either exhort or dissuade, to use the previously mentioned method in both cases.
διαφέρει δέ, ὅτι ἐκεῖ μὲν τὰ τυχόντα ἀντιτίθεται, ἐνταῦθα δὲ τἀναντία·
But the difference is that in the former case any chance consequences are opposed, but here contraries are opposed.
οἷον ἱέρεια οὐκ εἴα τὸν υἱὸν δημηγορεῖν· ἐὰν μὲν γάρ , ἔφη, τὰ δίκαια λέγῃς, οἱ ἄνθρωποί σε μισήσουσιν, ἐὰν δὲ τὰ ἄδικα, οἱ θεοί· δεῖ μὲν οὖν δημηγορεῖν· ἐὰν μὲν γὰρ τὰ δίκαια λέγῃς, οἱ θεοί σε φιλήσουσιν, ἐὰν δὲ τὰ ἄδικα, οἱ ἄνθρωποι . τοῦτο δʼ ἐστὶ ταὐτὸ τῷ λεγομένῳ, τὸ ἕλος πρίασθαι καὶ τοὺς ἅλας· καὶ ἡ βλαίσωσις τοῦτο ἐστίν, ὅταν δυοῖν ἐναντίοιν ἑκατέρῳ ἀγαθὸν καὶ κακὸν ἕπηται, ἐναντία ἑκάτερα ἑκατέροις.
For instance, a priestess would not allow her son to speak in public: "For if," she said, "you say what is just, men will hate you, but if you say what is unjust, the gods will; yet, on the contrary, you must speak in public; for if you say what is just, the gods will love you, but if you say what is unjust, men will." This is the same as the saying, "buying the marsh and the salt"; and this is "retortion", when a good and an evil follow each of two contraries, each being contrary to each.
§2.23.16ἄλλος, ἐπειδὴ οὐ ταὐτὰ φανερῶς ἐπαινοῦσι καὶ ἀφανῶς, ἀλλὰ φανερῶς μὲν τὰ δίκαια καὶ τὰ καλὰ ἐπαινοῦσι μάλιστα, ἰδίᾳ δὲ τὰ συμφέροντα μᾶλλον βούλονται, ἐκ τούτων πειρᾶσθαι συνάγειν θάτερον· τῶν γὰρ παραδόξων οὗτος ὁ τόπος κυριώτατός ἐστιν.
Another is, since people do not praise the same things openly and secretly, but openly they praise justice and noble things most, while in private they prefer what is advantageous, to try to infer the other from these; for this topic is the most effective for producing paradoxical arguments.

Notes

  1. §2.23.12δοῦναι τὰ δίκαια — An idiomatic expression meaning "to pay the penalty" or "to submit to trial / justice". Here it refers to the mythical precedent where the Furies (Venerable Goddesses) submitted to the judgment of the Areopagus court, arguing that Mixidemides likewise cannot escape trial.
  2. §2.23.12ἀπέθνησκον γὰρ ἄν — A counterfactual conditional construction where the apodosis is in the imperfect indicative with ἄν. The omitted protasis "if dying were a good thing" (εἰ τὸ ἀποθνῄσκειν ἀγαθὸν ἦν) must be supplied. From the premise that the gods are immortal, Sappho's conclusion that death is an evil is derived.
  3. §2.23.15βλαίσωσις — Originally a physical/medical term meaning "outward bending (knock-knee)". Here it is used metaphorically in rhetoric to denote "retortion", the reversal of an argument when two opposite choices each carry contrary consequences of good and evil.

Cite this passage

Aristotle, Rhetoric §2.23.12-2.23.16. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0086.tlg038.humanitext-grc2:2.23.12-2.23.16

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