Introduction

The introduction sets out the key questions which the book addresses. First: what happens to language in times of civil conflict? Second: can the historian speak of timeless moral values? It then introduces the reader to the ancient texts the book addresses, and the figure of paradiastole , through which they address these questions. It goes on to contrast their reflections with Skinner’s and Nietzsche’s understanding of transvaluation. It finishes with some reflections on method.