Steven Reed's Philosophy: Aristotle's Rhetoric (Book 1, Chapter 2)

Introduction

• Focus on summarizing Aristotle's rhetoric rather than reading the philosophy text.
• Rhetoric and dialectic are unique arts or sciences, emphasizing the ability to recognize all means of persuasion.

Types of Proof

• Inartificial Proof: Existing evidence like testimony or photos.
• Artificial Proof: Created through dialectic and rhetoric; requires invention.

Methods of Persuasion

• Ethos (Character): Relies on credibility; Aristotle criticizes old rhetoricians who dismissed character's role in persuasiveness.
  • Good character enhances belief in speaker, though the argument should still take precedence.
• Pathos (Emotion): Focus on audience's emotions, not the speaker's.
  • Emotion affects judgment, useful in law and daily interactions.
• Logos (Logic): Things are proven by example or enthymeme (a rhetorical deduction).

Enthymeme and Example

• Enthymeme: Rhetorical version of deduction, uses implied premises.
• Example: Rhetorical form of induction, uses evidence or data.
• Seemingly valid arguments can be as effective as valid ones if the audience believes them.

The Audience and Deliberation

• Audience: Often lacks capacity for complex arguments; enthymemes are preferred.
  • Arguments should be debatable to engage the audience.
• Deliberation: Avoid using long or baseless propositions.
  • Use enthymemes effectively, relying on audience's existing knowledge.

Signs

• Signs: Indicators based on assumptions, fallible or infallible.
  • Fallible signs can be disproven; infallible signs cannot.
  • Examples given involve wisdom and illness to demonstrate the types.

Enthymemes and Knowledge

• Enthymemes should arise from common knowledge.
  • Avoid specific sciences in rhetoric to maintain audience engagement and credibility.

Summary

• Aristotle's rhetoric focuses heavily on ethos, pathos, and logos without explicitly naming them.
• Enthymemes are central to effective rhetoric.
• Signs should be infallible to prevent counterexamples.
• Stay within the realm of rhetoric when persuading to maintain audience interest and trust.