Rhetoric

Rhetoric is the study and practice of persuasive and effective communication — how language and symbols influence audiences.

Scope

It covers classical rhetorical theory, argumentation, style and figures, and modern rhetorical criticism of discourse.

Core questions

• How does language persuade?
• What are the means of effective communication?
• How should arguments be constructed and analysed?
• How do symbols shape attitudes?

Key concepts

• Ethos, pathos, logos
• Argumentation
• Style and figures
• Identification
• Rhetorical situation
• Persuasion

Key theories

The classical art of persuasion

Aristotle systematized rhetoric around ethos, pathos, and logos.

Rhetoric as identification

Burke reframed rhetoric around 'identification' and the symbolic shaping of motives.

History

Rhetoric, one of the classical liberal arts (Aristotle), was revived in the twentieth century (Burke, the 'new rhetoric') as a theory of symbolic action and a method of criticism.

Debates

Rhetoric as manipulation or reasoned discourse

Whether rhetoric is mere persuasion technique or essential to reasoned public communication.

Key figures

• Aristotle
• Kenneth Burke

Seminal works

• aristotle-rhetoric
• burke-1950

Frequently asked questions

What are ethos, pathos, and logos?

Aristotle's three modes of persuasion: credibility of the speaker (ethos), emotional appeal (pathos), and logical argument (logos).