La philaletheia come expertise etica dello storico politicamente impegnato. Il caso di Teopompo

Résumé Fr En It

La contribution est centrée sur le concept de philaletheia comme catégorie éthique liée au domaine historiographique. Dans le cas de Théopompe, on relève une tendance visant à faire coïncider ce concept avec l’idée d’une recherche historique rigoureuse et approfondie, apanage de l’historien de profession qui, en vertu des compétences acquises à travers l’expérience sur le terrain, peut proposer tout à fait légitimement ses services en tant qu’interlocuteur et conseiller politique. Le thème semble remonter à des contextes de polémique à l’encontre de Platon et d’autres intellectuels – de façon plausible, dans des domaines étroitement liés à la pratique de la communication politique – et recouvre des valeurs tant professionnelles qu’éthiques.

Philaletheia as Ethical Expertise of the Politically Committed Historian. The Case of TheopompusThe paper focuses on the concept of philaletheia as ethical category belonging to the realm of historiography. In the case of Theopompus, one observes a tendency to merge this concept with the idea of a meticulous and in-depth historical investigation: such a study is regarded as the exclusive preserve of the professional historian who, by virtue of the knowledge and skills acquired in the field, is also fully legitimized in stepping forward as a discussant and a political counsellor. The theme can be traced back to contexts involving a polemic against Plato and other intellectuals, plausibly in spheres of activity closely linked to the practice of political communication; its repercussions thus have both professional and ethical connotations.

RiassuntoIl contributo è incentrato sul concetto di philaletheia come categoria etica riferita all’àmbito storiografico. Nel caso di Teopompo si registra la tendenza a far coincidere il concetto con l’idea di una ricerca storica scrupolosa e approfondita, appannaggio dello storico di professione, che, in virtù delle competenze maturate con l’esperienza sul campo, è anche pienamente legittimato a proporsi come interlocutore e consigliere politico. Il motivo pare risalire a contesti di polemica contro Platone e altri intellettuali, plausibilmente in àmbiti strettamente connessi con la pratica della comunicazione politica, e si riveste di valenze sia professionali sia etiche.