Rhetoric

Key people

• CiceroRoman statesman, lawyer, orator, and philosopher (106–43 BC)
• Apuleius2nd-century Numidian Latin-language writer, rhetorician and philosopher
• Nicolas ChamfortFrench journalist and moralistic author
• Branislav NušićSerbian writer

Timeline

• 681 BCELater examples of early rhetoric can be found in the Neo-Assyrian Empire during the time of Sennacherib (704–681 BCE).
• 550 BCEThe ancient school of Nyaya extended over a period of one thousand years, beginning with Gautama about 550 BCE and ending with Vatsyayana about 400 CE.
• 479 BCEIn ancient China, rhetoric dates back to the Chinese philosopher, Confucius (551–479 BCE).
• 1930By the 1930s, advances in mass media technology led to a revival of the study of rhetoric, language, persuasion, and political rhetoric and its consequences.
• 1960Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, methodological pluralism replaced the singular neo-Aristotelian method.

Read

• Lectures on rhetoric and belles lettresHugh Blair · 1783Book
• The history and theory of rhetoricJames A. Herrick · 1996Book
• Logic and contemporary rhetoricHoward Kahane · 1971Book
• The philosophy of rhetoricI. A. Richards · 1936Book

Listen

• Masters of RhetoricMasters of RhetoricPodcast
• RhetoricAristotlePodcast
• Rhetorically SpeakingProgram in Writing and Rhetoric, Stanford UniversityPodcast
• Discussions on Writing and RhetoricMeeghan Faulconer and Nikolas GardiakosPodcast

Voices to follow

• Erica Dhawan@edhawan · XAmerican writer, public speaker, and business consultant
• Barbara Cassin@barbara_cassin · XFrench philologist and philosopher (born 1947)
• Mykola Ovcharov@mykola_ovcharov · XUkrainian philosopher, orator, translator
• Christa J. Olson@christajolson · XAmerican professor of English and rhetorician

Debates

• Is rhetoric primarily a tool for persuasion or for understanding?One view: Rhetoric's main purpose is to convince an audience to adopt a particular viewpoint or take action. · Another: Rhetoric serves to clarify complex ideas and foster mutual understanding between speakers and audiences.Open question
• Can rhetoric be truly neutral, or is it always inherently biased?One view: All communication, by its nature, involves choices in language and presentation that reflect a specific perspective. · Another: It is possible to present information objectively, using rhetorical techniques to ensure clarity without imposing bias.Open question

Glossary

• EthosThe appeal to the speaker's credibility or character.
• PathosThe appeal to the audience's emotions.
• LogosThe appeal to logic and reason.
• KairosThe opportune moment or timing for effective communication.
• FallacyA flaw in reasoning that weakens or invalidates an argument.
• TropeA figure of speech that involves a change in the ordinary meaning of a word or phrase.

Careers

Roles this can lead toward

Threads 3

Where this connects to other fields — and why it's worth knowing.

• Revolutions & Upheaval History

  'Bread, land, peace.' Three words that helped topple an empire. Revolutions happen when a mountain of anger gets squeezed into one phrase small enough for everyone to shout and remember. So the slogan isn't just decoration on the uprising, it's often the spark that convinces people the old rulers have to go.

• Typography & Graphic Communication Arts

  A font talks before you read a single word. The same sentence set in goofy Comic Sans versus elegant Baskerville is actually believed by readers at different rates, tested and measured. So typography is silent persuasion: the shape of the letters is quietly vouching for the message, or quietly wrecking it.

• Central Banks & Monetary Policy Economics

  When a central bank hints about future interest rates, that's just talk, no button pressed yet, but markets worth trillions lurch in response. Their whole power rests on a reputation for meaning exactly what they say. It's proof that carefully chosen words alone can move the global economy.