Spigolature sulla cultura filosofica di Quintiliano

Abstract

The aim of this brief note is to offer an examination of two Quintilian pericopes. The first (Inst. Orat. III 2) presents a sketch of an evolutionary model of rhetoric inspired by the Epicurean conception of the origin and development of language. The second passage (II 17, 19-27) contains a reflection on the possibility that the orator may at times lie deliberately; in this case, a complex blend of Platonic doctrines appears to be at work in the background. In both instances, the analysis will show that these passages represent examples of the reuse, within a nonphilosophical context, of a shared philosophical culture.