augustine vs. cicero
Augustine’s Rhetoric vs. Cicero’s Rhetoric: Which was the better Rhetorician?
Rhetoric is the ancient art of argumentation and discourse. When we write or speak to convince others of what we believe, we are "rhetors." When we analyze the way rhetoric works, we are "rhetoricians." The earliest known studies of rhetoric come from the Golden Age, when philosophers of ancient Greece discussed logos, ethos, and pathos. Writers in the Roman Empire adapted to the Greek idea. Across the centuries, medieval civilizations also adapted to the theories of rhetoric. Even today, many consider the study of rhetoric a central part of a liberal arts education (Flexner 675). One assumption hidden in the art of rhetoric is that people-even intelligent people-can disagree with each other. Sometimes they disagree with each other about deeply held beliefs. Although some have limited rhetoric to the specific part of political discourse, many scholars utilize it to be used in every aspect of culture. While classical rhetoric trained speakers to be effective persuaders in public environments and institutions such as courtrooms and assemblies, modern rhetoric investigates human discourse. Rhetoricians have studied the discourses of a wide variety of domains, including the natural and social sciences, fine art, religion, journalism, digital media, fiction, history, and architecture, along with the more traditional domains of politics and the law. Many modern approaches treat rhetoric as human communication that includes purposeful and strategic influence of symbols. Public relations, lobbying, law, marketing, professional and technical writing, and advertising are modern professions that employ rhetorical practitioners.
Cicero’s Rhetoric The first master rhetorician Rome produced was the great Cicero. During his career he wrote several treatises on the subject including On Invention, On Oration, and Topics. His writings on rhetoric guided schools on the subject well into
Rhetoric is the ancient art of argumentation and discourse. When we write or speak to convince others of what we believe, we are "rhetors." When we analyze the way rhetoric works, we are "rhetoricians." The earliest known studies of rhetoric come from the Golden Age, when philosophers of ancient Greece discussed logos, ethos, and pathos. Writers in the Roman Empire adapted to the Greek idea. Across the centuries, medieval civilizations also adapted to the theories of rhetoric. Even today, many consider the study of rhetoric a central part of a liberal arts education (Flexner 675). One assumption hidden in the art of rhetoric is that people-even intelligent people-can disagree with each other. Sometimes they disagree with each other about deeply held beliefs. Although some have limited rhetoric to the specific part of political discourse, many scholars utilize it to be used in every aspect of culture. While classical rhetoric trained speakers to be effective persuaders in public environments and institutions such as courtrooms and assemblies, modern rhetoric investigates human discourse. Rhetoricians have studied the discourses of a wide variety of domains, including the natural and social sciences, fine art, religion, journalism, digital media, fiction, history, and architecture, along with the more traditional domains of politics and the law. Many modern approaches treat rhetoric as human communication that includes purposeful and strategic influence of symbols. Public relations, lobbying, law, marketing, professional and technical writing, and advertising are modern professions that employ rhetorical practitioners.
Cicero’s Rhetoric The first master rhetorician Rome produced was the great Cicero. During his career he wrote several treatises on the subject including On Invention, On Oration, and Topics. His writings on rhetoric guided schools on the subject well into