Sextus Empiricus Against Aelius Aristides. The Conflict Between Philosophy and Rhetoric in the Second Century A.D.

Abstract

The subject of this study is the re-intensified dispute between rhetoric and philosophy in the times of the Second Sophistic. The focus of our investigation has been on two authors of this period who have left behind treatises the explicit purpose of which is to attack or defend rhetoric: Sextus Empiricus who is sharply criticising rhetoric and Aelius Aristides who is defending it. Our purpose has been not only to investigate the position of our authors in the history of this conflict but also to contribute to the description of the debate between rhetoric and philosophy, which took place during the second century A.D. This description is made in part against the background of the practical employment of rhetoric during this period and in part on the basis of the earlier relevant discussions.First, we have made a synchronic investigation. We placed the arguments of these two authors side by side and proceeded to a comparative examination of them in an effort to give a clear answer to our basic question: Do Sextus and Aristides take part in their contemporary discussions about rhetoric, have their works any connection with their own time, or do they write their works only as followers of the tradition? On the basis of the evidence produced we take a stand for the former alternative. At the same time we were able to establish the main characteristics and trends of those second-century discussions, to identify more concretely some of the participants, to shed light not only on the theoretical exchanges between rhetoric and philosophy but also on their antagonism in the practical social field.Secondly, we proceeded to a diachronic investigation. Our purpose is here to search for the origin of the arguments employed by our authors. It was not always possible to establish the original source of the arguments with certainty, but an approximate definition of the origin was attempted on the basis of the existing evidence. It becomes evident that traces of the previous relevant discussions, from Plato's time onwards, exist in both Sextus and Aristides. At the same time the originality of our authors is revealed.