{"id":12455,"date":"2026-01-21T12:29:20","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T17:29:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/aaron-toscano\/?page_id=12455"},"modified":"2026-01-21T17:58:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T22:58:11","slug":"rhetspring2026january21","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/aaron-toscano\/engl6166spring2026\/rhetspring2026january21\/","title":{"rendered":"January 21st: Plato\u2019s Phaedrus"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Announcements<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<!-- \/wp:post-content -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list -->\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li><strong>Charlotte Motor Speechway<\/strong> canceled<!-- wp:list -->\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>Due to the weather predictions, the University and CLT are planning to close or reduce stuff, so we can&#8217;t have it.<\/li>\r\n<li>What would Plato say?<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/ul>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list --><\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list-item \/--><\/ul>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:heading -->\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Plan for the Day<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list -->\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>Encomiums of Helen (last week)<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/classics.mit.edu\/Plato\/phaedrus.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Plato&#8217;s <em>Phaedrus<\/em><\/a><\/strong> (Benjamin Jowett Trans. online)<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>Aristotle preview<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/aaron-toscano\/engl6166spring2026\/assignmentsspring2026\/\"><strong>Mini-Rhetorical Analysis<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li>Identity and Rhetoric (or the rhetorical construction and social assumptions of identity)<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/ul>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:heading -->\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Gorgias&#8217; and Isocrates&#8217; &#8220;Encomium(s) of Helen&#8221;<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\r\n<p><strong>Let&#8217;s jump back to last week&#8217;s discussion<\/strong> on these two important works. We&#8217;ll also discuss Biesecker a bit before heading onto <em>Phaedrus<\/em>.<a name=\"plato\"><\/a> Specifically, we should focus on this passage:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>pp. 100-101: Biesecker explains her definition of \u201crhetorical\u201d in terms of analysis of messages\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>\u201cI analyze events in which <strong>human beings produce messages that both are shaped by and shape social history<\/strong>. Such a focus recognizes human agency as a force in the trend, and acknowledges that change is neither inevitable, down a predetermined path, nor unidirectional, but subject to symbolic practices, and sometimes resisted\u2026.I read oratorical texts as\u00a0<strong>mediated<\/strong>\u00a0uses of language that influenced the trend.\u201d<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:heading -->\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Initial Information about Plato<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\r\n<p>There is plenty more of Plato&#8217;s work out there, but, in the interest of having more figures to study, I decided to have us just read <em>Phaedrus<\/em>. Instead of thinking about Plato&#8217;s different ideas across his texts, I&#8217;d rather us just focus on a single work. We could spend the entire semester on Plato&#8230;In fact, you could do an entire degree just on Plato. In <em>Gorgias<\/em>, Plato has nothing good to say about rhetoric, but he seems to believe it has a place in <em>Phaedrus<\/em>. Keep in mind that Plato (via Socrates) believes in <strong>absolute truth<\/strong> and that perfect types exist. However, it\u2019s hard to know if Plato believed we could ever reach a full understanding of perfection or good. It seems that we can get close if we\u2019re really devoted to philosophy.<\/p>\r\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:quote -->\r\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><!-- wp:paragraph -->\u201cPlato sought a cure for the ills of society not in politics but in philosophy, and arrived at his fundamental and lasting conviction that those ills would never cease until philosophers became rulers or rulers philosophers.\u201d <!-- \/wp:paragraph --><cite>Hamilton, Walter. Trans. <em>Phaedrus and Letters VII and VIII<\/em>. Radice, Betty. Ed. New York: Penguin, 1973: 1.<\/cite><\/blockquote>\r\n<!-- \/wp:quote -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\r\n<p>More from Hamilton&#8217;s &#8220;Introduction&#8221; (p. 17):<\/p>\r\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list -->\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>Platonic \u201cForms, of which shifting phenomena of the sensible world are imperfect imitations or copies\u2026The Forms are in fact universals given the status of independent and absolute entities.\u201d<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>&#8220;&#8230;there exists a Form for every class of things which can be embraced under a common name, beauty, for example, or triangle or horse.&#8221;<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>&#8220;The Forms, arranged in a hierarchy at the head of which stands the Form of Good, constitute the only true objects of knowledge&#8230;.the business of the <strong><em>philosopher<\/em><\/strong> is to make use of the reminders of them furnished by a sensible world as a starting-point in [their] pilgrimage back from the changing world of <strong><em>sense<\/em><\/strong> and <em><strong>opinion<\/strong><\/em> to the eternal world of <em><strong>reality and truth<\/strong><\/em>.&#8221; (italics mine)<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/ul>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\r\n<p>Notice the capitalized words: Forms and Good. Any comments?<\/p>\r\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\r\n<p>Let&#8217;s consider the following scale of &#8220;subjective&#8221; to &#8220;objective&#8221; interpretations of the truth:<\/p>\r\n<ol>\r\n<li>Taste\/Conviction<\/li>\r\n<li>Opinion<\/li>\r\n<li>Theories\/Laws<\/li>\r\n<li>Facts<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<p>Of course, is this the whole story? Is &#8220;objectivity&#8221; even possible?<\/p>\r\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:heading -->\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Questions for <em>Phaedrus<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\r\n<p><strong>Before Lysias\u2019 Speech<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list -->\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>What is the nature of the dialogue between Socrates and Phaedrus?<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>Is it important for Socrates to draw (or drag) out the word-for-word speech Phaedrus brought with him (based on Lysias&#8217;s speech)?<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Socratic_dialogue\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Platonic Dialogues<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>Why is Socrates close to dismissing the myths \u201ctoo ingenious and labored\u201d and, instead, claims he wants to know himself before worrying about \u201cother such monsters\u201d (pp. 24-25, 230)?<\/li>\r\n<li>Socrates claims, &#8220;&#8230;it seems absurd to consider problems about other beings while I am still in ignorance about my own nature. So I let these things alone and acquiesce in <strong>popular attitude<\/strong> toward them&#8230;&#8221;<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/ul>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\r\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.perseus.tufts.edu\/hopper\/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0174%3Atext%3DPhaedrus%3Asection%3D227a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Another online version of <em>Phraedrus<\/em><\/a> (that I couldn&#8217;t access earlier&#8230;it was &#8220;forbidden&#8221;)<\/p>\r\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\r\n<p><strong>Curious parts of Lysias\u2019 Speech<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list -->\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>p. 27: Love is fickle: it \u201cvalue[s] any new love in the future more than the old.\u201d<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>p. 27: Love is a disorder. Lovers aren\u2019t in their right minds, so their intentions can\u2019t be trusted.<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>p. 28: Those in love \u201care apt to interpret anything as a personal slight.\u201d They don\u2019t like their partners with others.<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>p. 30: Love the one who\u2019s most grateful and \u201cgratitude will be proportionate.\u201d<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/ul>\r\n<p>Love on film: <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/6vmWD46ajJw?t=300\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>&#8220;Top 10 Over-the-Top Love Declarations&#8221;<\/strong><\/a> (5:00 min in)<\/p>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\r\n<p><strong>Socrates 1st Speech<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list -->\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>p. 36: \u201cMost people are unaware that they are ignorant of the essential nature of their subject.\u201d<\/li>\r\n<li>Consider the benefit of starting a speech by defining your terms.<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>pp. 36-37: \u201cin each one of us there are two ruling and impelling principles\u2026<strong>a desire for pleasure<\/strong>\u2026and an acquired <strong>conviction<\/strong> which cause us to aim at <strong>excellence<\/strong>.\u201d<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>p. 37: <span style=\"color: #ff0000\"><strong>\u201cThe conviction which impels us towards excellence is rational\u2026self-control.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li><span style=\"color: #ff0000\"><strong>\u201cthe desire which drags us towards pleasure is irrational\u2026excess.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>p. 40: \u201cthe companionship of a lover, besides being injurious, is in the highest degree disagreeable to the object of his passion.\u201d<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>pp. 40-41: \u201cWhile he is in love the lover is a tedious nuisance, but&#8221; he\u2019ll leave you when \u201chis passion cools\u201d regardless of any vows, oaths, or promises made.<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>p. 41: Socrates concludes \u201cthat it is <strong>far better to yield to a non-lover who is in his sober senses<\/strong> than to a lover who from the very nature of things is bound to be out of his mind.\u201d<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>p. 41: Socrates also warns that lovers aren\u2019t friends, and an older man has an appetite for a young boy that he needs satisfied.<!-- wp:list -->\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/classics.mit.edu\/Plato\/phaedrus.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Online Jowett Trans<\/a>:<\/strong> &#8220;As wolves love lambs so lovers love their loves.&#8221;<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/ul>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list --><\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>Socrates gets a divine sign that makes him stay and redo his speech on love. This sets up his 2nd speech. Before he talks, though, he seems to set up his argument and warns that they risk being seen as uncivilized if anyone heard them talk this way.<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>Question: \u201cIs Plato being genuine here? Why bring up something so specific (the idea of lover in the previous speech) just to refute it? Is he trying to hide what he really thinks? Perhaps he\u2019s shunning the corrupt \u201cillusion\u201d of love that some maintain between each other.<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/ul>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\r\n<p><strong>Socrates on Souls<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\r\n<p>After explaining \u201cthat soul is uncreated and immortal,\u201d Socrates explains the myth of the charioteer and how souls come to earth and, eventually, get freed.<\/p>\r\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list -->\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>pp. 52-53: The main gods (Zeus et. al. on Mount Olympus) have horses that take them on easy journeys, allowing them to see truth. The lesser gods and lower (humans) don\u2019t get that glimpse and see varying degrees of the truth.\u201d<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>p. 53: Those souls beneath gods don\u2019t get the entire \u201cabsolute knowledge\u2026in the fullest sense.\u201d<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>p. 53: The lesser souls struggle with their horses and \u201cdepart without achieving initiation into the vision of reality, and henceforth upon <strong>mere opinion<\/strong>.\u201d<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>Opinion: has the appearance of knowledge but isn\u2019t reality, which is \u201cknowledge of the real world of the forms\u201d (Hamilton, note 1, p. 53).<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>p. 54: The hierarchy of souls\u2014how much they glimpse of the truth.<!-- wp:list -->\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>1st: seeks wisdom, beauty, or love\u2014a philosopher<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>2nd: monarch or warrior commander<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>3rd: manager of a household or financier (banker)<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>4th: lover of physical activity<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>5th: soothsayer<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>6th: poet or other (imitative) artist<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>7th: artisan or farmer<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>8th: popular teacher or demagogue<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>9th: tyrant<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/ul>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list --><\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>Apparently, it takes 10,000 years for a soul to regrow wings\u2026unless\u2014<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/ul>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\r\n<p><strong>Love is Regrowth<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list -->\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>p. 57: the corrupted man \u201cfeels no fear or shame in pursuing a pleasure which is unnatural.\u201d<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>pp. 58-59: the soul that glimpses its love and is shut off will be awestruck when it sees its love again.<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>p. 58: \u201che is ready to be a slave and to make his bed as near he is allowed to the object of his passion.\u201d<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>p. 61: \u201cevery man desires to find in his favourite a nature comparable to his own particular divinity.\u201d<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/ul>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\r\n<p>Notice what\u2019s happened here. Instead of aiming to love a lesser soul, as Socrates advocated in his first speech, he claims true love is <strong>a desire to be with one comparable to oneself<\/strong>.<\/p>\r\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\r\n<p><strong>Rhetoric and Philosophy<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list -->\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>p. 92: Once the speaker knows the types of souls and knows them when he encounters them, \u201cthen can he be said to have perfectly mastered his art.\u201d<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>p. 94: Socrates has a problem with probability and, therefore, rhetorical training because \u201cprobability establishes itself in the minds of the populace because of its likeness to truth.\u201d<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>p. 97: \u201conce a thing is [written] it circulates equally among those who understand the subject and those who have no business with it.\u201d<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\r\n<li>Who is a suitable and unsuitable reader? Any parallels in American history?<\/li>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/ul>\r\n<!-- \/wp:list -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:heading -->\r\n<h2><strong>Identity<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<p>I have some musings on identity that are inspired by Socrates&#8217; assumptions of &#8220;philosopher&#8221; vs &#8220;sophist,&#8221; which Plato demarcates in <em>Phaedrus<\/em>.<\/p>\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Are You Normal?<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<p>According to the US Census Bureau\u2026<\/p>\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.census.gov\/library\/visualizations\/2017\/comm\/cb17-51_educational_attainment.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">One-third of the US population has a bachelor\u2019s degree (or higher)<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\r\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.census.gov\/library\/stories\/2019\/02\/number-of-people-with-masters-and-phd-degrees-double-since-2000.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">In 2018, \u201c13.1% of U.S. adults have an advanced degree\u201d<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\r\n<li>In 2018, it looks like 2.6% have doctoral degrees (same link)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>2022 and 2024 Updates (read critically and closely)<\/p>\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.census.gov\/newsroom\/press-releases\/2022\/educational-attainment.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Census Bureau 2022\u2026<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\r\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.collegetransitions.com\/blog\/percentage-of-americans-with-college-degrees\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Percentage of Americans with College Degrees in 2024<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\r\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/michaeltnietzel\/2024\/02\/01\/percentage-of-us-adults-with-college-degrees-edges-higher-finds-lumina-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Percentage Of Adults With College Degrees Edges Higher, Finds New Lumina Report<\/a><\/strong>\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li>Is there a difference between a college \u201cdegree\u201d and a college \u201ccredential\u201d<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2><strong>Sophistry vs Rhetoric<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<p>In order not to bury the lead, I&#8217;ll just mention that a very good argument can be made that Plato (see McComiskey, p. 3) demarcates <em>sophistic rhetoric<\/em> and <em>philosopher<\/em>. <strong>Rhetoric is for mere persuasion<\/strong>; whereas, philosophy is truth. You can follow an etymological path and consider Gorgias&#8217;s use of &#8220;rhetoric&#8221; and, knowing the slipperiness of meaning, consider Plato&#8217;s characterization of the term. Focusing on the assumptions of a communicator is more germane to this course than finalizing a solid definition of the two. McComiskey makes the point that &#8220;Gorgias&#8217;s rhetorical methodology&#8230;allows for the determination of <strong>communal truth<\/strong> through the consensus of many&#8221; (18). However, McComiskey, in my opinion, appears to privilege a lofty version of democracy where the masses are involved in decisions, but Ancient Greece wasn&#8217;t that kind of place.<\/p>\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Next Class<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\r\n<p>We&#8217;ll finish up any Plato if needed and move onto Book I of <a href=\"http:\/\/classics.mit.edu\/Aristotle\/rhetoric.html\"><strong>Aristotle&#8217;s <em>On Rhetoric<\/em><\/strong><\/a> (I will have notes for Books II &amp; III, but they aren&#8217;t required reading).\u00a0 Don&#8217;t forget to do the <strong>Weekly Discussion Post #3<\/strong> by next Wednesday (1\/28) before Noon.<\/p>\r\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\r\n\r\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\r\n<p>The above link to <em>On Rhetoric<\/em> is fine, but there&#8217;s another one using standard numbering online, but you need to use the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Wayback Machine<\/a><\/strong>. The late Lee Honeycutt (an alumnus of our Tech\/Prof Writing program) created this <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20170809070441\/http:\/\/rhetoric.eserver.org\/aristotle\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>based on W. Rhys Roberts&#8217;s translation<\/strong>.<\/a> (<em>Rhetorica<\/em>. <em>The Works of Aristotle<\/em>, vol 9. Ed. W.D. Ross. Oxford: Clarendon P: 1924 [vols 1- , 1913-1931]. If you like old books, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/ia600203.us.archive.org\/11\/items\/theworksofaristo11arisuoft\/theworksofaristo11arisuoft.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Volume 9 is linked here<\/a><\/strong>, but it is a <strong>HUGE file<\/strong> and will take a minute or 10 to load.)<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Announcements Charlotte Motor Speechway canceled Due to the weather predictions, the University and CLT are planning to close or reduce stuff, so we can&#8217;t have it. What would Plato say? Plan for the Day Encomiums of Helen (last week) Plato&#8217;s Phaedrus (Benjamin Jowett Trans. online) Aristotle preview Mini-Rhetorical Analysis Identity and Rhetoric (or the rhetorical [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":598,"featured_media":0,"parent":12423,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-12455","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P2HAOx-3eT","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/aaron-toscano\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/aaron-toscano\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/aaron-toscano\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/aaron-toscano\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/598"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/aaron-toscano\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12455"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/aaron-toscano\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12455\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12465,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/aaron-toscano\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12455\/revisions\/12465"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/aaron-toscano\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12423"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/aaron-toscano\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}