Chapter 4 Aristotle dialectic 1 In what ways does an enthymeme rhetoric mimic a syllogism a Enthymeme s are called deductive arguments under the artistic b An enthymeme is a syllogism based on probable premises that are proof Logos meaning logic acceptable to the audience c A categorical syllogism is a formally structured logical appeal i consists of a major premise minor premise and a conclusion 1 All women are mortal major 2 Angelina Jolie is a woman minor 3 Therefore Angelina Jolie is mortal conclusion d An enthymeme is when conclusions aren t stated and the listener makes the assumption also known as an informal syllogism e The structure is incomplete from the lack of a conclusion because it would be redundant and therefore we can assume the conclusion in an enthymeme part of the argument is missing because it is assumed f They rest on probabilities and not actual truths i An example of an enthymeme could be 1 Socrates is mortal because Socrates is a man g The formal syllogism is 1 All men are mortal 2 Socrates is a man 3 Therefore Socrates is mortal h Enthymeme mimics a syllogism because they both have similar forms and are making claims but an enthymeme is an informal syllogism in which its form is incomplete and the conclusion is assumed i Just as there are false and illogical syllogisms in dialectic there are also false sham enthymemes i i e taking a specific probability and making it universally true that carrot top named Herbert has a terrible temper all red heads are hot headed ii j Dialectic aims to discover the truth while rhetoric uses probability and accepts that things are constantly changing use of persuasion k Like dialectic rhetoric can defend either side of a question and is therefore useful in disputation arguments 2 How does the uncertainty of life play a role in the usage of rhetoric a Aristotle based his theory of rhetoric on the premise that probable truth NOT certainty determines the answers to most important questions b Evidence and proof help speakers build their truths but in most cases it is something for which me must argue c Rhetoric is used to help outside the realms of logic to help determine things and come to conclusions about uncertainties in life d Artistic an non artistic proofs are more useful than logic when it comes to persuading people in which logic and evidence are important but the audience is bound to believe something or someone when they can relate and are concerned with the emotions and character etc of the speaker 3 According to Aristotle why is rhetoric more contingent upon the nature of humans than other arts survival a Aristotle believes that rhetoric is an art that is crucial for human b He says that since the world is constantly changing contingent we must learn to deal with these constant changes in order to survive and succeed c Aristotle says that human souls are unique because they can override instinct move from potentiality to actuality and make decisions i We have the power to make our own decisions d Rhetoric is more contingent upon the nature of humans rather than other arts such as literature music painting etc because rhetoric bases its principles on a close and definitive analysis of its audience that is where the potential strategies can be found Rhetoric is tied to the moment and to the contingent nature of humans e That is rhetoricians cannot be successful until they succeed in the immediate present they must know their audience and know what their expectations are i Speakers do not gain credibility with an audience by being ethical they gain it by being ethical in ways that the particular audience admires ii Speakers do not arouse an audience to anger unless they understand what causes anger in that particular audience f Since rhetoric is an art principles that produce a speech that adapts a certain message to a particular audience speaker situation i Since audiences are always changing and different rhetoric therefore focuses on the nature of humans and specific audiences you must meet the expectations of the people in order to get your message across g Humans must often make decisions without conclusive evidence and it is therefore up to the speaker to persuade the audience by using examples and the art of persuasion to get across their message 4 Why is Aristotle s concept of goodwill imperative to politicians ethos a According to Aristotle goodwill means demonstrating that you have the audience s best interests at heart b This is hard for politicians because they are often suspected to win the election to gain political power rather than to work for the good of their citizens c Politicians attempt to overcome cynicism motivated by self interest by promising to protect the audience members interests d Aka politicians must use goodwill in order to win their trust and get people to vote for them 5 Explain Aristotle s contention argument that the intensity of pathos is related to the proximity in space time relationships a Aristotle believed that intensity is a function of proximity b Intensity is a measure of the pain and pleasure that attach to each emotion c The intensity of emotions can be described in terms of nearness or remoteness of the objects that trigger emotions including the personal relationships that stimulate them i AKA the closer what we fear is in time and space the more intensely we experience that fear 1 If you have a test in 2 weeks you probably aren t too concerned if you haven t studied and the test is the next day your fear is immediately intensified ii AKA the more remote the object the less intense is the experience of fear d I E We have very little fear of bears roaming the woods in Alaska as long as we are not in the woods in Alaska but if the bear is in our home our fear is greatly intensified e It is therefore the expectation associated with a mental picture of the nearness of what keeps us safe and the absence or remoteness of what is terrible i A slight insult received from someone close to us such as a relative is more painful and more intensely felt than a slight received from someone who is remote such as a stranger f A speaker can move the listener to more or less intensely felt states of mind pathos by bringing the objects of emotions closer or removing them from the listener s temporal spatial field of perception 6 How is time a factor is Aristotle s three genres of public address a The three genres of public address consist of deliberative epideictic and forensic b
View Full Document
Unlocking...