Friday, 17 September 2021

Book 5, Letter 7 - Aristotle: on torture

 


Dear Cicero,


I have been delighted to read Aristotle, I know you are a big fan of his work. In my study of rhetoric and oratory, his book on the subject has been an excellent foundation. He just lays down the principles in such a clear manner and strikes me as having a rather dispassionate way of assessing human nature. He's not disappointed by our weakness, and not really impressed by our strengths. He's scientific in his methods, and I've learned a lot already, though I am only a few chapters in.


I look forward to reading his book on Poetics next.


Today though, I'm reading to you on the unreliability of confessions extracted by torture, a subject being debated, 2,500 years later.



With gratitude and respect.


Morgan

 






 

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