Slaying the Tyrant: How the Topos of the Tyrant Was Used to Defend Democracy
In ancient Greece and Rome, the topos of the tyrant was a rhetorical exercise to train students to defend democracy against rising authoritarians. Dr. Isaksen describes the exercise and outlines how it can be used today to rouse the people to fight against aspiring and actual tyrants.
The topos of the tyrant was a rhetorical weapon to defend democracy. The current "authoritarian moment" calls for a renaissance of this rhetorical exercise. A speaker can use "the topos of a tyrant" by recounting and elaborating on "the six vices of a tyrant": suspicion, cruelty, savagery, arrogance, immorality, and avarice. As Cicero stated, "when it comes to preserving the people's freedom, no one is just a private citizen." It is the duty of every citizen to guard against tyranny and from becoming tyrants ourselves.
