RT Borthius Reading

This reading contained a short biography about Anicius Manlinus Severinus Boethius. I'm going to start this blog out by saying that I thought his name was pretty funny and that I'm going to name my first born child Manlinus, however on another not it was interesting that this man considered himself to be a philosopher that accepted rhetoric as an addition to is work but not the focus and yet he produced famous rhetorical work. It even stated in the reading that one of his most important rhetorical books known as book IV of Topica Boetii was used as a textbook on rhetoric. However it was unfortunate that this scholar was unable to continue his work due to a suspected plot he was involved in that led to his execution by Theodoric the Great.

After the bibliography the author goes into a discussion of rhetoric and breaks down the different parts almost in the way one would break down a species of animal by dividing it into three different kinds of species judicial, demonstrative, and deliberative. Then the topic is broken down even further and it is described how if all of the parts are not met then it is no longer rhetoric and it is also explained how rhetoric must seek to argue. If one was simply giving a question and answer argument it would be an unbroken oration in which the adversary and judge are the same person. Overall it was mildly entertaining reading even though the last few pages seemed to be dressed up a little too much instead of just presenting the information we were asked to learn. The breakdown of rhetoric was very useful though because it gives you all the parts of a rhetoric argument that is needed to make it successful and accurate.