THE CONCEPT OF PHILANTHRŌPIA IN DEMOSTHENES

Year 2018, Issue: 25, 415 - 426, 01.04.2018

Esengül Akinci Öztürk

Abstract

In this paper, I will discuss Demosthenes’ view that philanthrōpia is a virtue pertaining to civilized societies in which social and political relations are based on democratic norms. Before Demosthenes, Attic literature had generally taken philanthrōpia to be only an aristocratic quality and employed it usually in an adjective form to describe either divine beings or rulers. But, by linking philanthrōpia too firmly to the concept of democracy, Demosthenes had frequently attributed philanthrōpia to Athenian people, laws and all the institutions of the state. For Demosthenes, the term philanthrōpia primarily denotes tolerance, sociability and civility which are essential to the democratic way of life

Keywords

Attic orators, Demosthenes, philanthrōpia, democratic attitude, humanitas, civilization

DEMOSTHENES’DE PHILANTHRŌPIA KAVRAMI

Abstract

Bu makalede, Demosthenes’in philanthrōpia anlayışı tartışılacaktır. Demosthenes’e göre philanthrōpia, sosyal ve politik ilişkilerin demokratik normlara dayandığı uygar toplumlara özgü bir erdemi ifade eder. Demosthenes’ten önce Attik literatür, philanthrōpiayı sadece bir aristokratik değer olarak ele almış ve bu terimi, çoğunlukla sıfat formunda, ya kutsal varlıkları ya da yöneticileri betimlemek için kullanmıştır. Fakat Demosthenes, philanthrōpia ve demokrasi kavramı arasında yakın bir bağ kurarak, philanthrōpia terimini Atina halkına, yasalarına ve devletin tüm organlarına atfetmiştir. Demosthenes için philanthrōpia, öncelikli olarak, demokratik yaşam tarzı için zorunlu olan uygarlık, sosyallik ve hoşgörülü olmak demektir

Keywords

Attika hatipleri, Demosthenes, philanthrōpia, demokratik tavır, humanitas, uygarlık

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