Tuesday, August 30, 2011
From Against the Sophists
One of the first things Isocrates states in this piece that makes complete sense to me is found on the first page at the very bottom. He says, "Abilities both of speech and of all other activities occur in those well endowed by nature and those schooled by experience" (266-267). His first point here about those endowed by nature is a very valid point. I believe some people were gifted with the ability to speak while others must work very hard at it which speaks to his second point and that those that have been schooled by experience. I believe most of us fall into that second category requiring a lot of hard work and schooling to be able to stand in front of a group of people and present a topic.
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I agree with Isocrates: abilities both in speech and other activities are either endowed by nature or schooled by experience. I would also have to admit that i too fall under the second category. I hope by gaining enough experience, I will be more willing and less frightened by the idea of public speech.
ReplyDeleteI appreciated your points on this topic. I agree that there are some who are truly gifted in speech, just like in anything else. But for those of us who are not, we must work and study and get experience to grow in our abilities.
ReplyDeleteHi Brady,
ReplyDeleteAm glad you highlighted this sentence. Isocrates in a sense endroses his belief in rhetorical education here. Unlike Plato's Academy and its focus on philosophers to rule the state, Isocrates endorses practical training in publich speech and rhetoric to equip men for public office. His distinctive approach is later on absorbed by post-Aristotelian rhetoricians and compositionists for practical education.