Perelman's Theory Of Argumetorics : Need For A New Rhetoric

To him, the framework of argumentation involves the relationship between audience and the speaker and is to be influenced by the argumentation. Adherence is a “sense of allegiance and understanding”, and this type of discourse involves values. In The Realm of Rhetoric, Perelman begins to discuss about the relationship between rhetoric and philosophy, and how dialectic discourse plays a part in the relationship. This is in contrast to the Cartesian Method of scientific discovery. Also, in this section Perelman advocates that rhetoric is subordinated to philosophy, claiming “If dialectic is useful to the philosopher, by allowing himself to settle erroneous opinions, the perception of truth will come through intuitions; rhetoric will serve to communicate these truths and to gain their acceptance. (1379)” Through the use of dialectical reasoning as well as rhetoric, one can influence the minds of the audience and affect their judgement. So, philosophical argumentation calls for a particular field of a theory of argumentation which he has developed as the new rhetoric. “As soon as communication tries to influence one or more persons, to orient their thinking, to excite or calm their emotions, to guide their actions, it belongs to the realm of rhetoric

Rhetoric can push users farther than the normal argument, and past the habits of the natural human mind. When one comes to understand the theory of words, argument and how opposition thinks, then can the situation fully be revolved for their favor and their future. Rhetoric is a valuable skill that should be taught in schools in order to assist in high school environments, and help prepare for a future in the workplace.

In this week’s reading of the “Rhetorical Approaches to College Writing”, the foundations for rhetoric were introduced. The book describes rhetoric as a word with many definitions that all have a commonality. From the reading rhetoric seems to have a way of calling people to action in some distort manner similar to enticement. From the reading three definitions of rhetoric were given by different sources. The first source being from a ancient Greek philosopher who defined rhetoric as, “the faculty of discovering in any particular case all of the available means of persuasion”(RACW pg.3). I learned that for Aristotle the Greek philosopher rhetoric was a means of political engagement in civic life (RACW pg.4). The second source was from another

Rhetoric is an art of communication that aims at enhancing the capability of writers or speakers who endeavor to persuade, inform or inspire distinct audiences in exceptional scenarios. As a discipline of recognized teaching and a prolific civic application, rhetoric has played a fundamental role in the Western convention. Rhetoric is acknowledged best from the description of Aristotle who regards it as a compliment of both politics and logic, and terms it as the ability to make an observation in any given instance from the accessible means of influence. Unlike other Aristotle works that have been around for ages,

Rhetoric is simply a form of communication -- a way to persuade, inform, or entertain someone with your words.

Week one concentrated on the three different proofs of rhetoric. The three proofs of rhetoric can be explained best by observing Aristotle’s Rhetorical Triangle. In all writing or conversation, it is important to recognize the three proofs of rhetoric to know what argument is being presented for persuasion purposes.

Rhetoric is often denoted to as the art of persuasion. A set of linguistic traits and semantics used to evoke emotional responses from its intended audience, opening the floor for unanticipated influence by said audience. It would be an atrocity to ignore the efforts behind this simple yet powerful manipulation. This is referred to as rhetorical discourse. Essentially, there are six characteristics of rhetorical discourse, these characteristics being; rhetoric is planned, adapted to an audience, shaped by human motives, responsive to a situation, seeks persuasion, and is concerned with contingent issues (Herrick 8). Further, each of the characteristics lends itself to support the social functions of rhetoric; testing ideas, assisting advocacy, distributing power, unearthing facts, shaping knowledge, and building communities (Herrick 15).

"The study of rhetoric traditionally has aimed to equip students with an ability to identify problems and issues, to investigate, to interpret, and to communicate results -- whatever the subject matter. These abilities require higher-level thinking, not just skills; analysis and evaluation, not just observation . . . . The study emphasizes strategies and practice rather than a body of facts and contemplation; thus the study of rhetoric aims for social application. Students are studying rhetoric in a technical communication course even though they may never hear of Aristotle nor study history and theory of rhetoric. Identifying a problem, gathering, interpreting, and arranging information,

Rhetoric is the study of how one uses language, any form of literary work, media, and/or pictorial works and determining why, how, and whether or not the work is persuasive. It encompasses the relationship between language and persuasion.

“Rhetoric, which is the use of language to inform or persuade, is very important in shaping public opinion. We are very easily fooled by language and how it is used by others.” Ray Comfort couldn’t have said it better. Rhetoric is a very powerful tool used in the English language. It has the power to conform people’s minds to fit the ideal society or influence their opinions about a certain subject. It is everywhere! It can be found in books, movies, commercials, debates, and speeches just to name a few. In Aristotle’s book, Rhetoric, he mentions all of the analytical strategies that are used when this literary art is practiced. These strategies will be applied to three different works of literature.

Jay Heinrichs is introducing the idea of rhetoric. In the beginning, he uses his son as an example as to what he’s trying to express with this book. “I achieved the pinnacle of persuasion: not just an agreement, but one that gets an audience---a teenage one at that--- to do my bidding.” (Jay Heinrichs 4). Here, he introduces an idea of arguing: Rhetoric. Throughout the

Rhetoric- although it may seem to be a word of specific meanings and scholarly uses, the true interpretation can have a vast range of purpose and understanding. Though things as simple as talking to your teacher, watching television, or choosing what outfit to wear in the morning all involve rhetoric, most people believe rhetoric can only be found in the world of politics. Despite government being a prime illustration of rhetoric, it can be go far beyond the deliberations of politicians. An Overview of Rhetoric analyzes various scholarly definitions by explaining, “...rhetoric is simply part of who we are as human beings: Every time we express emotions and thoughts to others with the goal of influence, we are engaged in rhetoric” (6). Keeping this idea in mind, I believe rhetoric is more strictly defined as conversation of persuasive actions that do little to advance a factual concept or idea, but is still valuable in sharing thoughts and viewpoints to incline another. Thus, I view rhetoric as a practice that could possibly result in negative action, but still holds value when attempting to influence the viewpoints of others.

In high school, I took an AP course that touched this subject of “thinking rhetorically’. My teacher went over how rhetoric was used and after a quick rundown, I had to write a few essays based on the 3 appeals to see if I comprehended. Depending on how difficult the text seemed, my understanding was easily manipulated. It was something unfamiliar to me, and it still is, but upon reading this article, I've gained a somewhat better understanding of it than before.

In Gorgias by Plato, Socrates questions and stands his ground on the disadvantages of Rhetoric. Like Socrates, I believe that Rhetoric is a progressive form of language used to enhance one’s self by convincing others of their perspective and gain something in return for it, and that it shouldn’t be used because Rhetoric is dangerous to use to any person who could potentially use it for the wrong purpose.

Glancing at the heading you may be wondering ‘what is rhetoric?’ Is it Ethos? Is it a question that is not answered or a type of persuasion? For the most part, rhetoric is a word that we may not use in our everyday language, but we utilize it religiously; we have practiced this skill in our everyday life since we were young. Rhetoric is actually communication. Every time you write a paper, every time you create a text, and every time you have a verbal conversation, rhetoric is being applied. The formal definition of rhetoric is, "the study of how humans use language and other symbols to influence attitudes, beliefs, and actions for other"(Ramage, et al. 16). It is used in many forms: texting, symbols, and word choice; rhetoric can also be divided