ScholarlyDefinitionsofRhetoric

Plato:[Rhetoric]isthe"artofenchantingthesoul."(Theartofwinningthesoulbydiscourse.)

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Aristotle:Rhetoricis"thefacultyofdiscoveringinanyparticularcasealloftheavailablemeansof
persuasion."
Cicero:"Rhetoricisonegreatartcomprisedoffivelesserarts:inventio,dispositio,elocutio,
memoria,andpronunciatio."Rhetoricis"speechdesignedtopersuade."

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Quintilian:"Rhetoricistheartofspeakingwell"or"...goodmanspeakingwell."

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FrancisBacon:Thedutyandofficeofrhetoricistoapplyreasontoimaginationforthebetter
movingofthewill.

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GeorgeCampbell:"[Rhetoric]isthatartortalentbywhichdiscourseisadaptedtoitsend.The
fourendsofdiscoursearetoenlightentheunderstanding,pleasetheimagination,movethe
passion,andinfluencethewill."

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HenryWardBeecher:Notuntilhumannatureisotherthanwhatitis,willthefunctionofthe
livingvoicethegreatestforceonearthamongmencease...Iadvocate,therefore,initsfullextent,
andforeveryreasonofhumanity,ofpatriotism,andofreligion,amorethoroughcultureoforatory
andIdefineoratorytobetheartofinfluencingconductwiththetruthsethomebyalltheresources
ofthelivingman.

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I.A.Richards:Rhetoricisthestudyofmisunderstandingsandtheirremedies.

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RichardWeaver:Rhetoricisthat"whichcreatesaninformedappetitionforthegood."

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ErikaLindemann:"Rhetoricisaformofreasoningaboutprobabilities,basedonassumptions
peopleshareasmembersofacommunity."

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PhilipJohnson:"Rhetoricistheartofframinganargumentsothatitcanbeappreciatedbyan
audience."
AndreaLunsford:"Rhetoricistheart,practice,andstudyofhumancommunication."

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KennethBurke:"Themostcharacteristicconcernofrhetoric[is]themanipulationofmen'sbeliefs
forpoliticalends....thebasicfunctionofrhetoric[is]theuseofwordsbyhumanagentstoform
attitudesortoinduceactionsinotherhumanagents."

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GeorgeKennedy:Rhetoricinthemostgeneralsensemayperhapsbeidentifiedwiththeenergy
inherentincommunication:theemotionalenergythatimpelsthespeakertospeak,thephysical
energyexpandedintheutterance,theenergylevelcodedinthemessage,andtheenergy

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experiencedbytherecipientindecodingthemessage.

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LloydBitzer:"...rhetoricisamodeofalteringreality,notbythedirectapplicationofenergyto
objects,butbythecreationofdiscoursewhichchangesrealitythroughthemediationofthought
andaction."

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DouglasEhninger:"[Rhetoricis]thatdisciplinewhichstudiesallofthewaysinwhichmenmay
influenceeachother'sthinkingandbehaviorthroughthestrategicuseofsymbols."
GerardA.Hauser:"Rhetoricisaninstrumentaluseoflanguage.Onepersonengagesanother
personinanexchangeofsymbolstoaccomplishsomegoal.Itisnotcommunicationfor
communication'ssake.Rhetoriciscommunicationthatattemptstocoordinatesocialaction.For
thisreason,rhetoricalcommunicationisexplicitlypragmatic.Itsgoalistoinfluencehuman
choicesonspecificmattersthatrequireimmediateattention."
C.H.Knoblauch:"...rhetoricistheprocessofusinglanguagetoorganizeexperienceand
communicateittoothers.Itisalsothestudyofhowpeopleuselanguagetoorganizeand
communicateexperience.Theworddenotesbothdistinctivehumanactivityandthe"science"
concernedwithunderstandingthatactivity."
JohnLocke:"[Rhetoric,]thatpowerfulinstrumentoferroranddeceit."
CharlesBazerman:"Thestudyofhowpeopleuselanguageandothersymbolstorealizehuman
goalsandcarryouthumanactivities...ultimatelyapracticalstudyofferingpeoplegreatcontrolover
theirsymbolicactivity."
MichaelHydeandCraigSmith:"Theprimordialfunctionofrhetoricisto'makeknown'meaning
bothtooneselfandtoothers.Meaningisderivedbyahumanbeinginandthroughtheinterpretive
understandingofreality.Rhetoricistheprocessofmakingknownthatmeaning.Isnotrhetoric
definedaspragmaticcommunication,moreconcernedwiththecontemporaryaudiencesand
specificquestionsthanwithuniversalaudiencesandgeneralquestions?"
AlfredNorthWhitehead:"ThecreationoftheworldsaidPlatoisthevictoryofpersuasion
overforce.Theworthofmenconsistsintheirliabilitytopersuasion."
SamuelM.Edelman:"Rhetoriccanbedefinedastheartormethodofreconciling...individualand
systemicgoalsandconstraints."(JCRSept2003)
AndrewKingandJimKuypers:"Thestrategicuseofcommunication,oralorwritten,toachieve
specifiablegoals."(TheArtofRhetoricalCriticism,2004)
ThomasB.Farrell:Rhetoricisanacquiredcompetency,amannerofthinkingthatinvents
possibilitiesforpersuasion,conviction,action,andjudgments."(TheNormsofRhetoricalCulture,
1993)

RichardE.Vatz:"This[isthe]sinequanonofrhetoric:theartoflinguisticallyorsymbolically
creatingsalience.Aftersalienceiscreated,thesituationmustbetranslatedintomeaning.
(PhilosophyandRhetoric,1973)

MichaelE.Eidenmuller:"Rhetoricisarationalstudyandartfulpracticeofhumansymboluse
(especiallyifnotexclusivelywithwords)whenandwherethosesymbolstargetidentifiable
communitiesofinteresttocreate,enhance,undermine,orotherwiseinfluencehumanbelief,
attitude,emotion,judgment,behavior."(VoiceofAmericaInterview,2011,andmodifiedforprint)

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