Reading Blog 6

RT pp. 486-491

Boethius
I find Boethius a very interesting character.  It is amazing how some scholars know when something needs to be preserved.  In this case, Boethius' goal was to translate all of Plato's and Aristotle's works into Latin.  This was interrupted by his execution, however the work that he had done was the only Greek philosophy known to western Europe until the thirteenth century.

I also find it interesting that Boethius saw himself as a philosopher and not a rhetorician.  It makes me wonder who, if anyone, will be known for their use of rhetoric hundreds of years from now.  Boethius' most influential rhetorical works was a treatise on logic.  Here, Boethius focuses on topical logic which is logic that uses rhetorical topics or commonplaces to explore ideas.  He compares classical systems of topical invention, mostly Aristotle's and Cicero's.  He finally raises the issue of borrowing rhetorical topics for philosophical ideas.  Boethius' main idea is that the dialectic deals with general questions, while rhetorical arguments deal with specific situations.  Boethius' life seems to be very similar to other rhetoricians of his time.