Explanation
Topoi are not ready-made propositions but places from which questions can be asked: What is something? What are its parts? What resembles it? What causes it? What follows from it? Their strength is systematic opening; their limit is that a familiar topic may impose itself upon the particular case.
Example
The topic of cause opens arguments different from the topic of comparison; both are tried in turn on the same problem.
Counterexample
This argument has often been used. Repetition alone does not yet reveal a topos as a method of inquiry.
Distinction
Distinguish topoi from clichés: a cliché may be a worn proposition, whereas topoi are generative places of inquiry. Distinguish them from topics in the everyday sense: a topos supplies a direction for questioning or inference, not merely a subject.
Effect on thought and perception
Expands the field of argumentative search and makes it possible to compare which perspectives a case permits or excludes.
Resonance
A subject answers differently depending on the place of inquiry from which it is addressed.
Etymology
Greek topoi · places; Latin loci
Provenance
Oxford glossary → HWRh cross-check where available → movement-of-thought analysis → ATLAS 235
Cite this entry
Reich, Michael (Hrsg./ed.): „Topoi“. Atlas der Sprache, AT-OXD-0007. ATLAS 251, data model 1.6.0. https://atlasoflanguage.com/concept/AT-OXD-0007The address remains stable; editorial content may evolve. A verified modification date per entry is not yet available. Include your access date for precise references.