Binarism in the Disticha Catonis

Abstract

Abstract Thematic and structural binarism pervades the Disticha Catonis. It appeals to a fundamental mode of cognition rooted in an early and critical stage of human cognitive development that uses pairs to structure and organize our thinking and perceptions. Partly as a result of its binarism, the collection’s maxims are easily understood and remembered, which explains why they were read or quoted by adults in the Classical and post-Classical periods and were important in the education of children in the medieval period and later.