Aeschines Against Timarchus

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Aeschines Against Timarchus

• (Dys)functional Constructionism?

Demosthenes
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Current American politics is riddled with sex
scandals, where politicians will make public
apologies, resign and get forced out of office.
They are meant to be role models as public
figures and are therefore scrutinized all the
more.  The same way that Timarchus was accused,
other politicians have been too. (journal
comment, 12-Feb)
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Your Questions/Impressions

• easier to get away with then
• then people more on lookout
• timarchus more flagrant and open
• anc. athens prostitution legal but heavily
  regulated
• the spending of inheritance how connected?????
• in the context of competition and persuasion
• the political angle needs to be considered, but
  the proof thing.

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Bibliographical Note

• Dover, K. J. Greek Homosexuality. 2 ed.
  Cambridge, Mass., 1989.
• Hubbard, Thomas K., ed. Homosexuality in Greece
  and Rome A Sourcebook of Basic Documents.
  Berkeley University of California Press, 2003.
• Skinner, Marilyn B. Sexuality in Greek and Roman
  Culture. Malden, MA Blackwell, 2005.

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Agenda

• Recap and Update
• Definitions (cont.) Sexuality in Aeschines?
• Aeschines Against Timarchus
• Speech and Context Issues, Evidence,
  Significance
• Speech as Evidence (discussion)
• (Un)-problematic Pederasty?
• Sexuality in Aeschines? (discussion)
• A Question of Approach

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Recap and Update

• Definitions (cont.) Sexuality in Aeschines?

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Definitions (cont. from Tuesday)
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Sexuality defined? (11-Feb class)

• hard to define
• people go w/ diff. aspects nature/nurture
• hermaphrodites (incl. pseudo-)
• intrd psych component (subjective)
• diff to pinpoint from authors
• constr view ways/rules (culturally contingent)
• aphrodisia
• lets do the sub-categories w/ terms
• sexuality evokes social/cultural expectations
• ethical dimension and diachronic dimension
• social/bio/psych pressures inclinations of desire

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Sexuality defined? (todays class)
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Sexuality in Aeschines?

• Validation for
• Foucault?
• dynamics
• ethics
• Halperin?
• constructionist heuristic
• Other?
• essentialist heuristic

• Evidence for
• essentialist
• constructionist
• typology?

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Functional Constructionism

• Loaded binaries
• Us / Them
• good / bad
• etc.
• Category conflation
• inductive potential
• Group validation

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Aeschines Against Timarchus

• Speech and Context Issues, Evidence, Significance

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Basic Background

• Date
• 346/5 BCE
• Politics
• Macedonia
• Aeschines vs. Demosthenes
• Procedure
• dokimasia rhetoron

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Speech Analysis

• Introduction
• speakers self-characterization
• legal-moral framework
• Narration
• Timarchus career
• Argumentation
• anticipation, refutation
• Conclusion

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Dokimasia rhetoron ( related)

• Grounds
• assembly speaking
• plus
• parental abuse
• military evasion
• prostitution
• inheritance squandering
• Penalty
• disfranchisement

• Related
• prostitution
• sexual predation

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Speech as Evidence (discussion)

• (Un)-problematic Pederasty?

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(Un)-problematic Pederasty?

• Active Role

• Passive Role
• wanted to take a passive role
• financial pressures, additions
• diff between gift and payment
• precedent issue
• b/c willing to do for money, what as a
  statesman??
• political theater like a game
• the connection between different arenas of
  irresponsibility
• disrespect self
• hubris v self
• combo passive in sexual matters, what in
  political matters???
• active role approved for males

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Sexuality in Aeschines? (discussion)

• A Question of Approach

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Sexuality in Aeschines?

• speech doesnt support carlsons
  (quasi?)-essentialism
• dealing with cultural values

• does support a kind of essentialism
• assumes fixed traits go with certain types
• sexual incontinence
• fiscal incontinence
• political corruption