“A Tale of a Tub” by Jonathan Swift: satire, ethics and politics
Keywords:
satire, irony, ethics, skepticism, politicsAbstract
Jonathan Swift attacks modern authors for considering them superficial. Denouncing their language –satire– the author calls into question his own art. Satire’s disposition in relation to arguments is skeptical. In order to destabilize the reader’s perspective, satire develops the diffi cult task of equal force (skeptical isosthéneia) of arguments. If ancient skepticism sought to get rid of language through its discursive practices, in order to attain the tranquility of the soul, satirical text transfers the moment of decision to the reader. This transference or suspension of decision and the use in discursive order of simulation and dissimulation, with which Machiavelli (a favorite author to Swift) characterizes political practices, confer satire its ethical and political dimension.
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