智术传统的继承与革新——伊索克拉底演说辞《海伦》序言析读

The Inheritance and Reformation of the Sophistic Tradition: An Interpretation of the Proem of Helen

希腊古典时期著名的教育者伊索克拉底在演说辞《海伦》序言中对公元前5世纪的智术师高尔吉亚斯展现出了前后态度不同的评价。一方面,伊索克拉底批评后者围绕某些哲学观念进行空谈,主张修辞学教育必须为城邦利益服务,认为演说辞的创作必须关注相关的重大主题,竭力将自身与智术师群体相区分;另一方面,他又继承了高尔吉亚斯探讨荷马史诗中神话的传统,赞扬后者将古希腊文学传统中的著名人物海伦作为演说的关注对象。在伊索克拉底看来,采用何种形式探讨神话与关注神话的内容本身同等重要。这位教育者试图以赞扬海伦美德的方式重述神话,从而服务于他演说辞创作应重视道德教育的主张,这便是伊索克拉底质疑高尔吉亚斯以颂辞为表象、实际创作辩辞做法的原因所在。

Isocrates’remarks about Gorgias in the proem of his speech,Helen,combine two contradictory lines of reception,endorsing and critical.Taking it as a sample,this article analyzes the relationship between Isocrates’rhetorical teaching and the Sophistic tradition.In Helen 4,Gorgias is impugned for his empty philosophical position.Isocrates criticizes the sophists’philosophizing as trivial,in order to introduce two new requirements to his own rhetorical teaching:the thematic and the pragmatic,and to dissociate himself from the Sophists.Meanwhile,Isocrates inherits the tradition of Gorgias by focusing on Homer and discussing myths in his text.He praises the sophists’choice of Helen as the theme of his discourse.In order to address the importance of moral education when writing speeches,Isocrates paid attention to both content and way of presentation.