Aesop, Aristotle, and Animals: The Role of Fables in Human Life

Abstract

The article discusses the role of fables in human life in the context of Aesop's Fables and Aristotle's "Rhetoric." According to the author, early Greek fables often conveyed a political message or showed the triumph of might over morals and the futility of resistance by the weak sectors of society. In the "Rhetoric," Aristotle argued that telling fables is an effective method of arguing by example and a useful rhetorical strategy in politics.