Rhetoric Review Jul 2004

Isocrates on the Ethics of Authorship

Tim Behme

Abstract

Abstract In this essay I argue that Isocrates stands as a major figure in the early history of authorship ethics in the Western world. His writings repeatedly characterize discursive originality as a virtue and discursive unoriginality as a vice, and he defines originality as a competitive enterprise whereby one seizes the opportunity to assert something new and better about something significant. I suggest that Isocrates' own obsession for achieving originality indicates his desire for fame, fortune, and immortality, and I conclude that historians of authorship ethics benefit from being sensitive to the vocabulary used in particular periods and by particular authors.

Journal
Rhetoric Review
Published
2004-07-01
DOI
10.1207/s15327981rr2303_1
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Topics
classical rhetoric
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (2)

  1. Bridgewater (2017)
    History Writing and Wikipedia
    Computers and Composition
  2. Bruss (2012)
    Searching for Boredom in Ancient Greek Rhetoric:
    Philosophy & Rhetoric

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