Ars Topica: The Classical Technique of Constructing Arguments from Aristotle to Cicero: 15 (Argumentation Library, 15) Hardcover – Illustrated, 28 April 2009

In this scholarly book, the author contends that: (1) the concept of argument schemes goes back to ancient times, and that argument schemes were systematized by Aristotle and Cicero; (2) Aristotle’s discussion of the concept of topoi has been misunderstood because it has been analyzed by commentators without proper regard to the historical context in which Aristotle analyzed and discussed topoi, and without a clear understanding of how Aristotle discussed and used the concept of topoi in the different contexts of dialectical debates and rhetorical debates; (3) Aristotle’s discussion of topoi in his work Topics is better understood as a discussion of the use of topoi in dialectical debates, while Aristotle’s discussion of topoi in his work Rhetoric is better understood as a discussion of the use of topoi in rhetorical debates; (4) Cicero’s discussion of loci in his early work of De Inventione had a superficial similarity to Aristotle’s discussions of topoi, but Cicero’s early concept of loci was different from Aristotle’s concept of topoi and closer to pre-Aristotlean traditions of argumentation; and (5) when discussing loci in his later works De Oratore and Topica, Cicero took a position similar to the discussion of argumentation in Aristotle’s Rhetoric. In support of these contentions, the author discusses and analyzes the works of Aristotle and Cicero, as well as the works of various commentators on Aristotle and Cicero.This is a technical, scholarly work that requires the reader to have some knowledge and familiarity with philosophy and philosophical concepts. I would recommend this book to readers with a serious, scholarly interest in (a) Aristotle or Cicero, or (b) ancient argumentation theory. Although the author offers some interesting insights about Aristotle’s and Cicero’s discussion and use of the concepts of topoi and loci, the author does not present or offer any specific suggestions on how her analysis of Aristotle’s and Cicero’s concepts might be applied to inform or enhance modern argumentation theory or practice.