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AND VINDICATING THAT PHILOSOPHY, BY PROOFS THAT ALL DEPARTURES
FROM IT HAVE BEEN DEVIATIONS INTO ERROR.
BY JOHN GILLIES, LL.D.
F.R.S. & S.A. Lond. F.R.S. EDINB.
soc. INSTIT, PARIS, ET ACAD. REGIÆ GOTTING. CORRESP.; AND
HISTORIOGRAPHER TO HIS MAJESTY FOR SCOTLAND.
Magna animi contentio adhibenda est in explicando Aristotele.
Cicero Fragment. Philosoph.
LONDON :
PRINTED FOR T. CADELL, IN THE STRAND;
AND W. BLACKWOON, EDINBURGH,
CONTENTS.
INTRODUCTION TO ARISTOTLE'S RHETORIC.
CHAP. I.
Motives to this work. - Growing degeneracy of Literature.
- State of public Criticism. Aristotle's Rhetoric.-
Its importance as a work of taste, criticism, and history.
- Analysis thereof. Its connection with his other
writings. — General diffusion of these writings. — History
of their reception in Asia and in Europe. -- Fanciful
appendages joined to them. - Corrupted by the Popish
Scholastics. – Mistaken and vilified by the first Reform-
ers. — Subsequent objections made to them. These
objections answered. The difficulties of the Greek
text obviated. Aristotle's consistency and accuracy
vindicated.
Page 1
CHAP. II.
Character of Mr. Stewart's Writings. — The Paris and
Edinburgh Encyclopedias. - Speculative Philosophy.
Its nature and use. — That of Aristotle, on what grounded.
– His Doctrine of Causes mistaken, and misapplied, by
the Schoolmen. His doctrine of the Association of
Ideas, or Custom, mistaken, and misapplied, by modern
Metaphysicians. — Their History.- Des Cartes, Hobbes,
Locke, Berkeley, Hume. - Modern Scepticism vainly combated by Drs. Reid, and Beattie, Lord Kames, and
Mr. Stewart. · Bacon, his supposed Reformation in
Philosophy. – His real Merits. - His Physical induction
not applicable in Metaphysics.- Locke's Method, wherein
consonant to Aristotle's. — Supposed consciousness of
many original principles. — Story of Sir William John-
stone and the Indians. — The acknowledged necessity of
returning, in some points, from the school of Locke to
that of Aristotle. The Materialism of Diderot, Hel-
vetius, Priestley, and Darwin, anticipated and refuted by
the latter. — Transition to his Practical Philosophy. -
Ethics, Politics, and Rhetoric. — The Moral Consti-
tution of Man more correctly explained by him, than
by Clarke, Shaftesbury, Hutchinson, Hume,
Paley. - Abstract and Estimate of his Philosophy.
Conclusion.
Page 69
ARISTOTLE'S RHETORIC.
BOOK I.
Rhetoric, natural, how improved into Art. Its connection
with Logic. Use of Rhetoric. Its extensive nature.
- Its artificial proofs. - Examples and Enthymemes. —
Likelihoods, Signs, and Tests. -- Topics general and
special. - Three kinds of Oratory.- Principal Subjects
of National Deliberation. — Analysis of National Pro-
sperity. — Utility differently modified by different Forms
of Government. Demonstrative Oratory. Moral
Beauty, Sources of Eulogy.
Judicial Oratory.
Huinan Action, seven
causes thereof.
Injuries.
Laws Written and Unwritten. - Justice and Equity.
Witnesses Ancient and Contemporary. - Contracts.
Oaths -- with the Propositions or Enthymemes, relative to
all these subjects.
BOOK II.
Deliberative and Judicial Eloquence ; on what their respect-
ive success depends. The three requisites to Persuasion,
independently of Argument. - Transition to the Doctrine
of the Passions. — Anger ; Its Definition Causes
Its natural Subjects and Objects. — Love and Hatred.
Fear.- Shame.- Pity.- Indignation. - Envy.- Emu-
lation. — Passions and Characters, as modified by Age -
Birth Riches Power; and their contraries. - The
Sources of Argument respectively appropriate to the
three kinds of Oratory. — The Topics common to all the
three kinds :- 1. The Topic derived from the nature
of contraries ; — 2. From that of conjugate terms;
3. From relatives ; — 4. A fortiori ; — 5. Parity of reason ;
- 6. From consistency in will and conduct ;— 7. Ad
hominem; 8. From definition ; 9. From diversity of
signification. 10. From division. - - 11. From accumu-
lation of instances ; - 12. From precedent; 13. From
resolution of the genus into its several species ;
14. From consequences ; — 15. From the consequents of
contraries. 16. From variance in the opinions of men,
expressed and secret; — 17. From analogy ; — 18. From
identifying things with their consequences; 19. From
inconsistency with previous resolutions ; — 20. From sub-
stituting a probable motive for the real cause ; — 21. From
the general causes impelling all human action ; -
22. From improbability itself; — 23. From incongruity;
24. From explaining false appearances ; — 25. From
the improbability of the cause to that of the effect ;
26. From the contrast of designs ; — 27. From incon-
sistency with former actions ; — 28. From names. - Ar-
guments less convincing than Replies; and why. — The
most impressive are those that are natural, but not obvious.
The eight kinds of sophisms. Solutions and Ob-
jections; their nature and number.
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