Aristotle and Cicero on Rhetoric

Paper Summary:

This paper first explains Aristotle's belief that rhetoric is a tool that could do both great good and great harm and thus could not itself be one of the great truths of the world. The paper then compares this to Cicero's view that rhetoric was an art form that required practice and skill and was the only true method of political discourse and an absolute necessity in the formation and exercise of good government.

From the Paper:

"As children we are conditioned to a particular form of discourse that is framed by a significantly complex set of variables including our culture, gender, ethnicity, birth order, political identity and power, religion, and personality. How we employ words, in what context, and with what relative level of effectiveness is determined by all of these factors and more. Rhetoric is, however effectively argued over, a tool to be used within verbal discourse with the intent to convince others of a particular point of view. Political speech is perhaps the most obvious form of rhetoric we experience, but it is also employed in attempts to sell us things, to get others to go on dates, to win jobs and promotions, and to teach our children lessons on how to live life."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Aristotle. Rhetoric. New York: Courier Dover, 2004.
• Erickson, Keith. Aristotle: The Classical Heritage of Rhetoric. New York: Scarecrow Press, 1974.
• McKendrick, Paul. The Speeches of Cicero. New York: Duckworth, 1994.
• Steel, Catherine. Cicero, Rhetoric and Empire. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.
• Triadafilopoulos, Tomas. "Politics, Speech and the Art of Persuasion: Toward an Aristotelian Conception of the Public Sphere". Journal of Politics. Aug, 1999. 15:3. Pp734-752.

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