Aristotle and the Techne of Rhetoric
Between the third and fifth centuries B.C. there existed a “golden and classical age” of thought in the ancient world, with the majority of this activity centered in the polis of Athens, Greece. Although the city is historically recognized for its legendary
conflict with rival polis Sparta, Athens is perhaps best known for the creation of democracy—that noble political experiment that laid the preliminary structure for most of the rights we Americans enjoy today. First among these rights was the freedom of speech. Each Athenian citizen (meaning male land owners numbering around five thousand) met regularly in public forums (in an open-air auditorium called the Pnyx) to discuss laws and issues. Each man had a voice in the matter, and his success in dissuading or persuading his audience meant the action Athens would potentially take. So outstanding rhetoric, and the study, teaching, and delivery of it, became the center of attention among the Athenians; democracy meant individual empowerment, and good rhetoric meant the power to make change.
The first notable scholars to take on the challenge of analyzing and teaching the art of rhetoric were Isocrates, Socrates, and later, Plato. Plato soon created an academy in Athens, appropriately called the Plato Academy that attracted men who were interested in the art. One of the first students was Aristotle, who like Plato, had a lasting effect not only on the study of rhetoric, but the discipline itself.
Aristotle was born in 384 BC at Stagirus, a Greek colony and seaport on the coast of Thrace. His father, Nichomachus, was a respected physician to the King Amyntas of Macedonia. This connection with the royal family served Aristotle we...
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...tain an audience in an effort to create change. So no, technology is not always simply a machine spitting out rivets or a computer humming away in some lab somewhere. It can be, as Aristotle argues, found in the logic of the human mind; for the mind is, and will always be, humankind’s greatest techne.
Works Cited
Aristotle. On Rhetoric: A Theory of Civic Discourse. Ed. G. A. Kennedy. Oxford: New York, 1991.
“Aristotle (384 – 322 BCE.) Overview” The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Available Online: www.utm.edu/research/iep/a/aristotl.htm. Accessed: 12 Feb. 2003.
Foss, S.K. Rhetorical Criticism; Exploration and Practice. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland, 1996.
Newbold, Dr. Webster. “Review of ‘Understanding technology’ Unit: Writing and Technology.” Available online: www.bsu.edu/web/00wwnewbold /213/213unit1review.htm. Accessed: 11 Feb. 2003.
Of Aristotle’s three modes of rhetoric, Audre Lorde’s essay is comprised largely by logos complemented by pathos and the least by ethos. Ethos is obvious when she describes herself in terms of social groups, giving credibility to herself to justify her assertions. In her words, Lorde is a “forty-nine-year-old Black lesbian feminist socialist mother of two, including one boy, and a member of an interracial couple.” She explains at the beginning of her essay that she has been identified as an active member of these socially taboo groups and thus has the right to demand attention to her claims. Logos is seen throughout her essay, often following a bold statement. Her arguments not only consist of reasoning but also personal experiences and real-life occurrences, such as Lorde’s question of the lacking representation of poetry by Back women and the horrifying female circumcision supported by Jomo Kenyatta in Africa. Lorde’s use of logos is very effective because it gives the reader a relatable narrative to better understand her bold conclusions. The third mode of Aristotle’s rhetoric is pathos, which Lorde uses to a slightly lesser degree than logos but just as effectively. Examples of Lorde’s use of pathos are her descriptive language, metaphors and lists.
"Unhandled Exception." Ancient Greece - History, Mythology, Art, War, Culture, Society, and Architecture. 2008. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. .
Scholars and historians of rhetoric consider the Greek philosopher, Aristotle, one of the great contributors to our present understanding of this art which, since its early origins and until present, has been a controversial field of study because of its association with persuasion and influence. However, readings of the many ancient and contemporary texts and analyses of the origins and the developments of this ancient art marginalized the role of the Sophists, who were the first to introduce rhetoric to Greece, and usually associated them with the bad reputation rhetoric has acquired over the years. Undoubtedly, Aristotle developed rhetoric in a more comprehensive and systemized explanation than what the Sophists offered, but an examination of how this great philosopher reached his findings, and what elements formed his theory on rhetoric points out that the Sophists, who initiated this art, deserve a re-evaluation of their role and an explanation of their “unethical” perspectives. In this essay, I consider the Aristotelian rhetoric to be a progression of the Sophists’ nascent teachings in rhetoric. Arguably, the “disdained” Sophists introduced a novel field of study that constituted a base for Aristotle’s theory. My argument is based on a chronological reading of the origins and development of rhetoric and recent studies on the Sophists and their discredited achievements almost since the great philosopher, Plato, staged his battle against them. I also regard the platonic versus sophistic approach to the definition of rhetoric, its goals and purposes, and its relation with the public as consequential factors of development of this art. Accordingly, I assume that this rivaling situation could not have existed without the sophisti...
Rosa Parks was a very important woman in history, giving people a voice about racism. Rosa was an African American woman who was told move from the back of the bus and give her seat to a white man. “She was already sitting in the “negro” section located in the back of the bus and refused to relinquish her seat” (Stabler 1). This event causes a major controversy with the 20th century civil rights movement in the 1950-1960s. The 1965 action of Rosa Parks sparked the deceleration from the Supreme ...
Pomeroy, S.B. et al. A Brief History of Ancient Greece: Politics, Society, and Culture. Second edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.
In Plato’s Gorgias, Socrates discusses the nature and uses of rhetoric with Gorgias, while raising moral and philosophical perspective of rhetoric. Socrates believes that rhetoric is a kind of false knowledge whose purpose is to produce conviction, and not to educate people about the true extent of knowledge (Plato 15). On the other hand, Gorgias argues that the study of rhetoric is essential in any other professional fields, in order to provide an effective communication (Plato 19). After their discussion of rhetoric, Socrates seems to understand the true extent of rhetoric better as compared to Gorgias, as he is able to use rhetoric appeals as a device to dominate the conversation. During their discussion, Socrates seems to have use rhetorical appeals, such as ethos appeal and pathos appeal to connect and convince the crowd of audiences, and logos appeal to support his claims. His speeches seems to have shown sarcastic aspects and constantly asking questions in order to keep Gorgias busy, at the same time preparing an ambush. Since rhetoric is the art of effective communication through the form of speaking and writing, with the appropriate knowledge and virtue, it can be used for good purposes. On the other hand, rhetoric also can be used as an act of conviction because rhetorical appeals can be defined as an act of persuasion as well. Learning the true extent of rhetoric can help an individual strengthen their verbal communication skills. Socrates uses rhetorical appeals of ethos, pathos and logos appeal to win his argument against Gorgias, as he is able to get the audiences’ attention through rhetoric and cornered Gorgias into revealing the true extent of rhetoric.
Rosa Parks born February 4, 1913 in Tuskegee, Alabama U.S. Best known for her civil disobedience in December 1955, when she did not give up her seat to a white man on the bus. The bus driver called the police so she was arrested that day but was let out on bail that night and was fined $14. They were in Montgomery, Alabama when this case caused a Supreme Court ruling that segregation on public transportation was illegal. Starting the civil rights movement in the 1950’s and 1960’s .” Rev. Jesse Jackson told E.R shipp of The New York Times,”she sat down so that we can stand up paradoxically her imprisonment opened doors for our long journey to freedom” (Rosa Parks).
Rosa Parks a civil rights activist was born on February 4,1913 and died October 24,2005. Rosa Parks is known as the woman who refused to surrender her seat to a white passenger. This took place on the Montgomery, Alabama bus on December 1,1955. This was the day the citywide boycott had started. It wasn’t the first time Rosa Parks had sat in the wrong place on the city bus. She had said in an interview that the bus driver had evicted her before because she didn’t want to get on the bus from the back door instead she got on the bus from the side door like everyone else. On December 1, 1955 she had noticed that it was the same bus driver but she didn’t hesitate to get on the bus. As she got on the bus she sat in the first seat that was allowed for colored people. She wasn’t disturbed until the bus driver had reached the third stop and a white passenger had boarded the bus and he was left standing. As the bus driver noticed the standing white passenger he told her to stand up, but Rosa said no so the bus driver called the police. When the police showed up they asked her why she wasn’t standing and Rosa Parks said “I don’t think I should stand, why are you always pushing the coloring people around” the police had to arrest her, but Rosa Parks knew that she will start to fight for equal rights. Since that day she fought extremely hard for civil rights until finally the city of Montgomery had no choice but to lift the laws.
The Journeys in the Study documented the progression of the definitions of Buddhism and Hinduism in the Webster Dictionary over the course of 1828, 1849, and 1864. The primary source was written by professors at Yale University. Each definition was composed by professor Edward Salisbury with the help of William Dwight Whitney. Being that the Webster Dictionary is an American composition, the intended audience was aimed towards American’s looking to learn about Asian religions. The intended purpose for this document was to clarify the structures of Buddhism and Hinduism. Multiple advances in globality and communication technology occurred throughout the making of this source, which depicts it as a way to understand cultures Americans were
“You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it’s right,” –Rosa Parks. Rosa Parks, do we all just remember her as the women who stood up in the bus? This is an understatement to the powerful act she took that day on December 1, 1955 and it’s a day that will be remembered forever. Born on February 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, Alabama, she was raised around a lot of racial discrimination. After her parents separated, she moved to Pine Level, Alabama, where went to an old segregated one-room school. African-Americans were required to walk to school while white students get a school bus and attended school in a new building. Rosa Parks stopped going to school after Gr.11 to stay home and take care of her mother and grandmother and she later got a
Rosa Louise Parks, an African American, was born on February 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, Alabama to James and Leona McCauley. In her early years, Rosa Parks faced many challenges and struggles due to the color of her skin. She was born during the time where African American people were subject to unequal treatment and was affected by the Jim Crow laws of segregation with white and black people. The segregation included drinking from the water fountain, using the bathrooms, transportation, and education for whites and blacks. Due to segregation, Rosa dedicated her life to making a change for all people of color, and in 1955 she made history by refusing to give her seat on the bus to a white individual. According to Brinkley (2000), “Rosa Parks courageous
Rhetoric is the pedestal upon which a good education rests. . Rhetoric is critical thinking— the study and art of writing and speaking well, being persuasive, and knowing how to compose and deliver both successful written and oral presentations Advanced levels of clear thinking, good argument, logical discussion and speaking are essential to academic student success in any discipline and field. Rhetoric teaches students how to criticize and analyze what you read and study whether in the sciences or liberal arts— the stronger your education.
She got the right to sit anywhere she want on the bus. Rosa did a protest and made sure that they didn’t ride the bus. The Montgomery busses went out of business because nobody didn’t ride the bus and they weren’t making money. In August 1955 she meets Martin Luther King. March 7,1965 they marched to Selma, Alabama and they were beaten and tear gas. In 1979 Rosa Parks received a NAACP’s Spingarn Medal. In 1980 Detroit News and Detroit Public schools gave Mrs. Parks a Scholarship Foundation, honoring the 25th anniversary of her stand in Montgomery. She did a boycott and didn’t give out her seat. She did a protest that lasted a year and got the right to let African Americans to seat anywhere they wanted. “I would like to be known as a person who is concerned about freedom and equality and justice and prosperity for all people.”
Plato defines rhetoric as “the art of ruling the minds of men” (Bloom). The sophists were instructors in the disciplines of rhetoric and overall excellence. Their teachings thrived in the fifth century B.C. Through the work of Protagoras, Gorgias, Antiophon, and other sophists, the people of Athens gained higher education and stopped accepting everything they were taught as absolute fact. This questioning of traditional philosophical schools eventually led to the emergence of other ways of thought such as skepticism.
384 B.C.E., Aristotle was born in Stagira, Greece. At the age of fourteen, Aristotle went to Athens to study Philosophy with Plato. Although he studied with Plato, he did not always agree with some of his teachings. When Plato died, Aristotle left Athens and traveled to Macedonia. While in Macedonia, Aristotle tutored Alexander the Great. Later on in his life, Aristotle returned to Athens and created a school of him own, Lyceum. When Alexander the Great died in 323 B.C.E., Aristotle fled to Euboea to avoid charges and execution. He died shortly after in 322 B.C.E. (Aristotle Biography, 2015). Aristotle is seen as much more than just a great philosopher of his time. He practiced in ethics, biology, science, and much more (Chaffee, 2013, p. 250).