IMC 2026: Sessions

Paper 510-a:

This paper examines al-Fārābī’s position on the integration of ēthos and pathos with the enthymeme in his commentaries on Aristotle’s Rhetoric, namely the Book of Rhetoric and the Didascalia. To clarify his stance, the study begins by surveying and classifying modern scholarly interpretations of this topic. It then evaluates which of these interpretations most closely aligns with al-Fārābī’s views. The analysis proceeds through two key conceptual frameworks present in his rhetorical theory: the division of persuasive means into “syllogistic” and “non-syllogistic” forms, and the distinction between “necessary” and “complete” rhetoric. The findings indicate that, from the perspective of the syllogistic/non-syllogistic distinction, al-Fārābī’s position is broadly aligned with the traditional view—prioritizing logos and treating ēthos and pathos as non-syllogistic, supportive elements. However, when viewed through the lens of the necessary/complete rhetoric distinction, his approach appears more nuanced. In this context, he allows for a limited but meaningful integration of ethical and emotional appeals into the structure of persuasion. While still remaining fundamentally traditional, al-Fārābī, in this latter distinction, begins to approach both moderate and modern interpretations by recognizing the importance of ēthos and pathos and their potential to function as material within enthymematic reasoning.

Paper 510-b:

Medieval temporality is best exemplified by Byzantine scholar Nemesius of Emesa’s treatise 'On Human Nature' (4th century). At its core, the forty-four chapters focus on the human being, analyzed from naturalistic, philosophical, and theological viewpoints. In the East, the treatise 'On Human Nature' was revitalized through new interpretations and translations. This paper explores modern perceptions of the treatise’s temporalities from textual and spiritual-cultural perspectives.

To understand medieval temporalities through textual phenomena, a specialized vocabulary was created in several languages, including many new words, terms, and phrases that conveyed the most abstract ideas of ‘medieval time.’

From a spiritual-cultural perspective, these temporalities are visible in modern works, including direct quotes, reinterpretations, and new insights derived from these quotes, as well as in the anthropological manuals used in monastic schools.

Paper 510-c:

In the Neapolitan manuscripts of Seneca’s tragedies there are a lot of notes, maniculae, brackets, monograms of Nota. These paratextual signs are the fragments of a commentary layered in the past. Through the selections made and the emotions noted in the margins, it will be possible to distinguish copyists and annotators, establishing a dating of the hands, if not absolute, at least according to a chronology of the readers’ interventions. Indeed, albeit between two distant worlds, the voices of the tragic Seneca and his characters sometimes revealed the same sensibility as that of the medieval readers through emotions over time. My final gol will be recognize the hands and their reading preferences in the order of their medieval time.