Bonos numquam honestus sermo deficiet. La dimensione sociale dell’oratore in Quint. inst. 12,1

Abstract

In chapter 12,1 of his Institutio oratoria, Quintilian reflects on the ideal orator, considering the civic and social dimensions of his commitment to the community. According to Cato's assumption of uir bonus dicendi peritus, which is taken up and commented on several times, the author offers an acute assessment of the purpose of a profession, which is expressed in his speaking for the community. This requires, in addition to solid skills, credibility based on principles of honesty that are not only intellectual. In this vein, Quintilian once again offers a reinterpretation of the history of Greek and Latin eloquence, based on several exemplary figures, to demonstrate that the ethical dimension of the orator is a fundamental and constitutive part of his social mission