Purpose Description:

The reading for today covers heavily the distinction between Rhetoric and Dialectic–particularly how Aristotle worked to distinguish the two. My response is an attempt to comment on that distinction and to further establish rhetoric’s unique qualities in the eyes of Aristotle.

Response:

In order to strengthen the concept and further develop rhetoric’s importance in civic life, Aristotle set out to establish parameters for rhetoric. He heavily distinguished it from the question/answer, theory testing concept of dialectic and established rhetoric as a much larger based, common, and defensive point of argument. He applied the terms of endoxa–the generally accepted ideas and beliefs of a culture–and enthymeme–a term deeming rhetoric as a true systematic art. These both helped distinguish rhetoric from the Sophist’s practice, perhaps his true objective in his efforts. Ultimately, Aristotle did work to bring an updated, revolutionary, and clarified quality to the concept of rhetoric. He wanted to expose the Sophists for the untruthful, misleading preaching he believed they were doing. In doing so, he brought a conservative and antiquated approach to the problem at hand, but one that provided guidance and experiential qualities.