My dissertation “The Birth of Western Political Thought: A Rhetorical Interpretation – from Latin rhetorical sources to John of Salisbury” explains the emergence of political theory over a long period of time, from Roman rhetorical textbooks to John of Salisbury (one of the founders of the European political tradition). Generally, my research topics are concerned with transitions, impacts and receptions in rhetoric, philosophy and political thought. First, I have studied the influence of Greek culture on Roman and then the influence of that on medieval and later thought. Second, I have studied the influence of rhetoric on other fields, the historical relationship between rhetoric and philosophy and the relationship between language and politics. Of particular interest are the following thinkers: Isocrates, Cicero, Seneca, Quintilian, Augustine, John of Salisbury, and many minor Latin rhetoricians. Familiar from the modern side are Bernard Russell, George Edward Moore, and Ludwig Wittgenstein. Recently, I have started to focus on ideologies, populism, and propaganda.
In the spring of 2025, I am an examiner for the course State and Society (YFIP1002).