COM 301 Midterm

• 1. Planned
• 2. Adapted
• 3. Reveals our motive
• 4. Responsive
• 5. Seeks to persuade
• 6. Concerned with contingent issues (matters that confront everyone which don't have a definite or unavoidable answer)

• exigence (problem);
• audience;
• constraints (limits to what can and cannot be said)

• Rhetoric constructs a situation
• rhetoric inviting
• ex. persuading a friend to buy expensive concert tickets

• the situation constructs rhetoric
• rhetoric making
• ex. debate in medical ethics regarding assisted suicide

• 467 B.C.
• Greece

believed in absolute truths

what we know is what we perceive/interpret

Rhetoric- ability to argue case and refute was crucial

virute; excellence; managing own affairs well

the method of investigating philosophical issues by the give and take of argument; a method of teaching that involved training students to argue either side of a case; argument back and forth, both sides of a proposition

• contradictory arguments;
• the idea that strong arguments could be produced for or against any claim

truth depends on a careful consideration of all factors surrounding an event, including time, opportunity, and circumstance.

• They talked for $
• These people were outsiders/foreigners
• Cultural relativism- truth is only true relative to culture
• Sophists replaced divine truth w/truth by argumentation
• Law by social agreement (nomos) instead of thesmos which is law derived from authority of kings or natural law

• there was no truth, even if there was, we could not grasp it
• best known for: language use and style--how you phrase is powerful

• 1st of the Sophists
• "Man is the Measure of All Things"
• Father of debate
• first to systematize eristic argument- argumentative tricks that ignore true meaning (dianoia) in order to ensure rhetorical victory

• organization, structure
• intro-narration-argumentation-peroration (conclusion)

• "Old Man Eloquent"
• Master teacher
• critical of earlier sophists
• concern for preparing greek leaders to make wise and effective political judgments; aimed at improving political practices of Athens
• what set him apart?- concern for ethos (moral character)

dramatic delivery; about personal power

• female rhetorician
• socrates teacher
• invented socratic method

• royalty in his blood
• disenchanted with democracy
• buys garden of Academus since 387 b.c.
• an absolutist, reject cultural relativism
• believed philosopher kings should be ruling party bc only ones intelligent and enlighted enough to understand the ideals
• rhetoricians not knowledgable about justice, just skilled in creating beliefs about justice (misleading)

• 1.impiety- speaking against gods
• 2. corrupting the youth- band from teaching
• 3. ignoring the band from teaching

the rhetoric practiced by sophists does not embody an adequate conception of justice thus dangerously deceptive activity for individual and the state;

aim to persuade thru manipulation of public instead of based on true knowledge and well being of city

nomenal (real, ideal world) not the one we live in vs. world of appearances

ideals are realized and understood thru socratic dialogue; perfect in the mind, imperfect in physical form

plato wants to help develop souls so we can return to ideals

techne (true art- medicine, justice)--4 true arts of health, 2 for body and 2 for soul

sham (joke, not real art, cosmetics, rhetoric)

rhetoric like knack of cookery (imitation of art of medicine, restoration of soul instead of justice)

rhetorician; idealism similar to Plato

"language is sermonic"

noble vs. ignoble (search truth b4 speaking vs. not seeking truth b4 speaking)

language, rhetoric can improve society if we understand values before we speak--dialectic before rhetoric--goal of dialectic is greater understanding of big truth

argument from circumstance- forget principle, circumstance dictates what is said next; argument grounded in situation

argument from definition; argument that is rooted in principle

rhetor's relationship to audience; audience ends up in control of rhetor; truth for plato exists independently of audiences; too dangerous to make truth a matter of audience agreement

• true rhetorician must be a philosopher;
• true art of persuasive speech would aim to bring order to society through a thorough study of the human soul, diff types of ppl, and pwr of words.

• rhetoric an art of influencing the soul through words; art of leading soul toward truth thru words and arguments
• connection btw. love&rhetoric

to establish order in individual and city state- this occurs when wisdom-loving part of soul persuades the other two parts (lover of nobility and lust) to submit to control; produce harmony and justice in soul and state

• Plato and Sophists-extreme; he takes middle ground
• thinks human are primarily rational individuals
• loves to categorize things
• rhetoric is conterpart of dialect- dialectic needs to precede rhetoric- examine both ends of every issue then rhetoric presents what you've discovered

rhetoric is the ability to see in any situation, the available means of persuasion--a way of formatting a message to reach distinct audiences (knowing when to use what)

• true/just ideas do not always prevail, rhetoric advocate for it
• sometimes facts arent enough to persuade audience
• need to know both sides of an issue, so u can at least refute the other side
• have an understanding of rhetoric for the of intellectual self defense

• Deliberative
• used in assemblies; political, law; liked most bc of potential to help large amount of ppl; inductive in nature (reasoning specific to general)
• Epideictic
• ceremonial; elements- tone of humility, speech of praise/blame, commending/commemorating someone; a good inaugural
• Forensic
• rhetoric of the courtroom; deductive; syllogism main tool;
• enthymeme- special kind of syllogism leaves audience to fill in the blank; conclusion not specifically stated