Synopses & Reviews
This book is a study of the ways in which classical Athenian texts represent and evaluate the morality of deception. It is particularly concerned with the way in which the telling of lies was a problem for the world's first democracy and compares this problem with the modern Western situation. There are major sections on Greek tragedy, comedy, oratory, historiography and philosophy.
Review
"This thoughtful and wide-ranging book...provides a useful introduction to important recent work by classicists on Athenian political culture.... Hesk's book reminds us of the legitimate centrality of political rhetoric to democracy, yet provides new insight on how sophisticated rhetorical technique complicates the struggle to discover truth. He is surely right to conclude that 'without that struggle, we may as well give up on democracy altogether.'" Perspectives on Politics"Deception and Democracy is an ambitious book. The questions it raises and the approaches it tests make this volume an especially useful addition to libraries of graduate institutions." New England Classical Journal
Synopsis
A study of the ways classical Athenian texts represent and evaluate the morality of deception.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 299-320) and indexes.
Table of Contents
Preface; Prologue; 1. Deception and the rhetoric of Athenian identity; 2. Deceiving the enemy: negotiation and anxiety; 3. Athens and the ânoble lieâ; 4. The rhetoric of anti-rhetoric: Athenian oratory; 5. Thinking with the rhetoric of anti-rhetoric; Epilogue; Bibliography; Indexes.