The Logic of Ornament: A Classical Taxonomy of Arabic and Persian Rhetorical Figures
Year: 2026
Type: report
Abstract: This paper examines what appears to be the earliest systematic attempt to classify figurative devices in Persian, found in the logical work Kitāb Asās al-Iqtibās by the celebrated polymath Naṣīr ad-Dīn Ṭūsī (1201-1274). In doing so, it builds upon the earlier systematisation proposed by Ibn Sīnā (980-1037) in his commentary on the Poetics of Aristotle. I present Ṭūsī's classification in the form of a detailed diagram that visually renders his systematic approach to the artifices and embellishments of speech. The diagram highlights their ambitious effort to bring rhetorical analysis into conversation with philosophical principles. I conclude by considerations of how this diagram might be revised or expanded, both to test the limits of Ibn Sīnā-Ṭūsī system and to assess its potential adaptability for broader applications in contemporary rhetorical studies.
DOI: 10.17613/xd4wh-ja695
Author: Tahmasebian, Kayvan
Institution: SOAS University of London
Language: English
Subfield: Philosophy
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
OpenAlex ID: W7155169124
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