Rhetoric, philosophy, and transformation in the thought of Michael Psellos

Book chapter

Champion, Michael. (2023). Rhetoric, philosophy, and transformation in the thought of Michael Psellos. In In Anagnostou-Laoutides, Eva and Parry, Ken (Ed.). Later Platonists and their heirs among Christians, Jews, and Muslims : Texts and studies in Eastern Christianity pp. 211-231 Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004527850_010

Publication dates
Authors	Champion, Michael
Editors	Anagnostou-Laoutides, Eva and Parry, Ken
Abstract	[Extract] This chapter takes up investigation of these different modes of self-transformation by considering Psellos’ account of how rhetoric relates to philosophy. It begins by clarifying Psellos’ inclusion of rhetoric within philosophy.7 It then explores how rhetoric functions as philosophy in politics and aesthetics. Rhetoric is essential for ordering diverse legal virtues, and thus for the performance of political virtues. Psellos also sees rhetoric as part of philosophy since it excites and directs emotions and desires and can perform aesthetic judgements. Rhetoric forms a part of transformative philosophy by orienting philosophers towards the beautiful in harmonious discourse. Sublime rhetoric can also provide an impulse for philosophical transformation, both by displaying the gulf between creator and creature and by recasting ordinary events as transformative salvation history. Therefore, in Psellos’ hands, rhetoric becomes a vehicle within a soteriological framework for transformation towards godlikeness across the domains of ethics, politics, and aesthetics.
Page range	211-231
Year	2023
Book title	Later Platonists and their heirs among Christians, Jews, and Muslims : Texts and studies in Eastern Christianity
Publisher	Brill
Place of publication	Leiden, Netherlands
	Boston, MA
Series	Texts and studies in Eastern Christianity ; volume 27
ISBN	9789004450264
	9789004527850
ISSN	2213-0039
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)	https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004527850_010
Publisher's version	License All rights reserved File Access Level Controlled
Output status	Published
Print	05 Jan 2023
Online	28 Dec 2022
Publication process dates
Deposited	31 Jan 2023

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