1 / 22

Aristotle

Aristotle. Thinking about Rhetoric. Aristotle: His Life. “The Stagerite” (394-322 BC) Father--Doctor At 17 to Athens to study with Plato (20yrs) After Plato’s Death leaves--marine biology Peripatetic school in Athens’ Lyceum Married at 37 to 18 yr old women A Son (Nichomachean Ethic).

knoton
Download Presentation

Aristotle

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Aristotle • Thinking about Rhetoric

  2. Aristotle: His Life • “The Stagerite” (394-322 BC) • Father--Doctor • At 17 to Athens to study with Plato (20yrs) • After Plato’s Death leaves--marine biology • Peripatetic school in Athens’ Lyceum • Married at 37 to 18 yr old women • A Son (Nichomachean Ethic)

  3. Aristotle on Rhetoric • Middle Ground between Sophists and Plato • Between Circumstances and Idealism • Sophists’ audience=the possible • Plato’s audience=the certain (the soul or gods) • Aristotle’s audience=the probable

  4. Three views of Rhetorical Reality“The Umpires as Rhetors” • “I calls ‘um as they is.” Who? • “I calls ‘um as I sees ‘um.” Who? • “They ain’t nothing til I calls um.” Who?

  5. In other words . . . • Plato--Reality is there and communication reflects reality. • Aristotle--Reality is probably there and communication is a relationship with reality. • Gorgias--Reality is not there and communication creates reality.

  6. Rhetoric, its own Identity • A counterpart to dialectic not cookery • Not moral but pragmatic and scientific • A study of all the available means of persuasion • Functions to discover in each context the best way to by successful

  7. Rhetoric’s Usefulness • Prevents fraud and injustice • Aids instruction • Makes us argue both sides • Helps in self-defense

  8. The Enthymeme • The center of Aristotle's Theory • Two part definition: • Truncated syllogism • Shared values

  9. The Syllogism--Logic • #1 • All men are mortal • Socrates is a man • Therefore, Socrates is mortal • #2 • ?

  10. Enthymeme-truncated • So . . . • Socrates is a man • Therefore, he is mortal • Missing element?

  11. Another truncation • In a speech on human demographics, I state: • “When deer and elk populations over breed they evidently die from starvation and/or disease.” • Unstated assumption?

  12. Enthymeme--shared values • What the speaker and audience share • “held in the mind” (Herrick, p. 81) • The argument is completed by the rhetor and the audience at the same time. • Clinton’s “State of the Union,” Social Security and the baby boomers.

  13. Two Kinds of Proofs • Artistic • Logos--logical arguments • Pathos--causes of emotion in humans • not irrational or nonrational as in Gorgias’s enchantments • Ethos--character, human goodness, virtue • Inartistic • evidence like testimonies, contracts, knives, tortured slaves

  14. Topos--Places • Locations for arguments • For example: • You want to run for office and you have a sorted past. Read the Clinton story and listen to responses he gives, Hilary gives, others responses. This is a topos for arguments. • Others Places? Where would you go?

  15. Fallacies Arguments • Post hoc--after the fact (Tom and picture) • Ad hominem--attack the person • Ad verecundiam--one source • False associations or metaphors--Doctors in non-medical aids or sports heroes

  16. More on Aristotle and Rhetoric • Book one and two on logic and emotions • Book three on style and delivery • “mere adornment” (metaphors or style) • “unworthy” (delivery) • Demosthenes--”delivery, delivery, delivery”

  17. So, What did Aristotle do for Rhetoric? • A counterpart to dialectics • An area of study--the dunamis (power) • Valuable study • Two areas of proof • THE ENTHYMENE • Topos • So, is rhetoric an art, techne, or a knack?

  18. Some Rhetorical Examplesand /or Problems • The CAR committee: • “I’m asking to have my low undergraduate and graduate grade point average and low MAT score to be waved because I’m almost done with my course work and I need to be accepted into the program to graduate in the Spring.”

  19. More Examples/Problems • Ms. Malloy, a pro-life advocate • “Dr. Foster (of Clinton fame) should not be the head of the upcoming teen-pregnancy prevention task force committee because he is pro-choice and has performed abortions.”

  20. More Examples/Problems • The case of the lost earring. • Solomon and the Baby

  21. More Examples/Problems • Chicago Hope and the fetus/abortion case. - Enthymeme or shared value beginning? • Presidential Appointment Click here. • - What is the enthymeme? Strong? Weak? • The young Islamic “peeping tom” - Enthymeme or shared value beginning? • Dan and Steve’s Grants--Where do we begin? • Your papers? • Key point regarding enthymemes is . . . ?

  22. More Examples/Problems regarding Aristotle's Rhetoric • Movies (tomorrow) • The city • A time to kill • Contact

More Related