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Aphorism, the aesthetics of philosophical discourse

Β' ΜΕΡΟΣ/PART II

• Χριστοδούλου, Ιωάννης Σ.

In this article, I shall explore the aesthetic dimension of philosophical discourse. My conjecture is that in philosophical “aphorisms”, this special mode of thought and expression, one can find elements of the very essence of philosophical reasoning, its main concern being the construction of principles. In order to support this hypothesis, I shall refer to the work of Konstantinos Tsatsos, an eminent philosopher and writer of aphorisms. I shall use the aphorisms of some of the main French moralists, such as La Rochefoucauld, Vauvenargues, La Bruyère and Pascal. According to them, the main characteristic, inter alia, of constructing these philosophical principles (and aphorisms) is simplicity and succinctness of expression. This, of course, evokes the beginnings of philosophical discourse, in the ‘short sayings’ of the Seven Sages.

• Philosophy, Ethics and Religion
• Languages and Literature

• Αισθητική
• Φιλοσοφία
• Λογοτεχνία