Abstract

RAMIREZ VIDAL, Gerardo. Ethos and Humanistic Education in Isocrates. Nova tellus [online]. 2013, vol.31, n.1, pp.103-120. ISSN 0185-3058.

Rhetoric was the main model of higher education in Greek and Roman antiquity, and remained so during the Medieval and Renaissance periods. Isocrates is recognized as the quintessential teacher of rhetoric in ancient Greece and as the founder of liberal education in the West. To him, learning of the “sciences” had only a preparatory function and should be subordinated to the philosophia of logoi (e. g. political training). Among the elements of his humanistic and rhetorical education system, he emphasized the concept of êthos, which he considered as a precondition for effective speech in the political struggle. Its main meaning is the speaker̓s expected behavior, which should be consistent with his education, his family tradition and his political orientation. The function of êthos can be extended to other fields of humanistic culture.

Keywords : ethos; education; rhetoric; Isocrates.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )