Hello,

Natural talent was most likely an important consideration during the time for a few reasons.

One, this was a time in history when upper class citizens had very clear and dominating status over the middle class or lower class. There was no mixing of classes, and this could easily have made it seem as if an intelligent person, with “árete” would seem like they could only be born with it. Then, against the norm, sophists came in from other countries and began teaching it. It was against the norm.

Two, democracy is founded on the idea of commonality. That everybody has an opinion, and that everyone should be able to voice that opinion. This went against “árete,” and there were certain influential upper class people who believed this idea to be true. In order for each person to gain a voice, the ‘natural’ gift of discussion had to be investigated and debated.

Three, during this time, Isocrates, and many other existing rhetoricians believed that the success of the polis was more important than the individual’s prosperity. So, the whole idea of every person being capable of developing and learning “árete” would be a threat to the polis in the minds of Isocrates and other existing rhetoricians.

We see this today in the classic idea of “is a leader born or made?” This is a common question, especially in Military Institutes like VMI. It is important to consider weather or not the teaching and lessons we learn can actually work to make more able citizen leaders. Leaders are needed today, we must have them at all levels, and knowing whether they are born or made is important in finding those leaders for positions today.

Furthermore, we have a deeply divided society that, I would believe, Isocrates would dislike immensely. We are extremely individualized as a society. Most people work towards prosperity and material things for themselves and not others, or the “polis.” If we maybe took a step back from the more individual basis in which we live on, maybe listen to Isocrates a bit, we could possibly have a more unified and prosperous nation as a whole. I am not saying eliminate competition to succeed on the individual level, but rather, have people work for a different goal, that of making the polis better, possibly at the sacrifice of individuals.