Discourse on Method
Heuresis (or invention) comprises, as Richard Lanham notes, "the first of the five traditional parts of rhetorical theory, concerned with the finding and elaboration of arguments" (1991: 91). In Aristotle's Rhetoric the category of heuresis included the kinds of proof available to the rhetorician, lists of valid and invalid topoi, as well as the various commonplaces the rhetorician might touch upon - loci or stereotypical themes and observations ("time flies") appropriate to a given occasion
(Lanham 1991: 166-170). In a more contemporary sense heuretic is defined by the OED as "the branch of logic which treats of the art of discovery or invention." Both senses of this word, along with its more familiar cognate
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Ulmer's book presents itself, in part, as a heuristic device for enabling such new forms of research and text production from the inventio provided by Jacques Derrida. In The Other Heading, reflecting on contemporary Europe,
Derrida repeats a fundamental question posed by Paul Valery in 1939 in the wake of fascism: "What are you going to do?
What are you going to do today?" (1992: 18, cited in Ulmer 84). Ulmer sees his work as a response, in 1992, to this call for invention. Ulmer's text also presents itself as providing a method for "the contemporary paradigm" (12) of poststructuralism comparable to the method Descartes provided for an emergent scientific rationalism. He is quick, however, to qualify this project for "any attempt at a postmodernist 'method' is contradictory (an impossible possibility)" (25). In one of the most suggestive sections of work, the initial chapter contends that "all of the manifestos of the avant-garde, belong to the tradition of the discourse on method" (8), and provides an analysis of the common elements comprising such discourses. They are
"representable for mnemonic reference by the acronym CATTt" (8).
C = Contrast (opposition, inversion, differentiation) A = Analogy (figuration, displacement) T = Theory (repetition, literalization) T = Target (application, purpose) t = Tale (secondary elaboration, representability) (8)
Thus Descartes' discourse on method
Abraham Lincoln’s “Second Inaugural Address” and Emily Dickinson’s “Success is Counted Sweet,” are two inspirational pieces of art that fall under two different types of discourses. The “Second Inaugural Address,” is a great example and definition of what Rhetoric is. It encompasses all four resources of languages- argument, appeal, arrangement, and artistic devices. “Success is Counted Sweet,” doesn’t cover the four resources of language that apply to rhetoric; therefore, it is categorized as a poem.
As we move forward, we will be critically examining the article using through three kinds of proofs - Ethos, Pathos and Logos; defined in Aristotle’s rhetoric theory which will be explained in more details in the following paragraphs.
Scholars of rhetoric consider the Greek philosopher, Aristotle, one of the great contributors to our present understanding of this art which, since its early origins and until present, has been a controversial field of study because of its association with persuasion and influence. However, an examination of ancient rhetoric and its development by the Sophists and then a study on Aristotle’s theory on rhetoric and how he concluded his findings direct our attention to whether this Greek philosopher only included in his theory what he described as inadequate and non-fundamental Sophistic teachings, or actually built up his theory on their techniques, long bashed and overlooked. In this essay, I consider Aristotle’s rhetoric is an evolution
In the article there were many rhetorical strategies. The ones that I feel stood out the most are atmosphere, imagery, and exemplification.
Rhetoric’s are used in every occurence of our lives whether we are aware of them or not. From the way we greet new ideas and thoughts, to the way we function with already existing notions, regardless, rhetorics have incorporated into our daily life from the first few months of our lives. The dictionary recognizes rhetorical to mean ‘the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the use of figures of speech and other compositional techniques.’ What’s the main concept to explore of rhetorics, are the main uses and techniques that are commonly used.
The St. Martin Handbook describes rhetorical situations. Which can be used to make good decisions to become a good writer. The author encourages
As Gorgias spread his wisdom and skill through the Encomium of Helen, other philosophers also expressed their wisdom and skill through contributing multiple perspectives to rhetoric. As other philosophers have studied rhetoric, there has been many different perspectives and criticisms that add to the complexity of
It is of a great importance to understand the history of rhetoric in order to understand the rhetorical device (metaphor) that will be investigated in this study. The art of rhetoric was developed by the Greeks around 400 C.B. It was defined as ‘ars bene dicendi, the art of speaking well in public.’ The well-known Greek philosopher, Aristotle, is often credited with developing the basics of ‘the dynamics of public speaking.’ His work The Rhetoric (Ars Rhetorica) consists of three books. In the first book, Aristotle presents the purposes of rhetoric and a working definition, and he introduces the three types of rhetoric: deliberative, forensic, and epideictic rhetoric; the second focuses mainly on the audience, and the third is about the
Rhetoric, by Aristotle, emphasises the importance of enthymeme as a fundamental persuasive tool in rhetorical argument. Aristotle defines an enthymeme as a rhetorical demonstration that makes up the body of proof. Aristotle also identifies “that the enthymeme is a kind of syllogism” (Aristotle 1.1.11). In practice with the overall function of Dialectic, all syllogisms should be examined for their matter and forms, so enthymemes should be examined as well. After understanding the forms and matter, or essence of the enthymemes, one can use them to further legitimize proofs with the same or similar essences. For example, take the argument that in the United
In chapter 2 of If A then B, Shenefelt and White explain the difference between what it is to have a logical argument and also explain the means of persuasion. The authors show the difference between the logical argumentation and persuasion by explaining how the Ancient Greeks and the Ancient Indians studied arguments. In other words, the main focus of chapter two dealt with distinguishing between what is logic and what is rhetoric. It was discussed that the means of persuasion involves getting people to agree with one by using techniques such as rhetoric. In contrast, logic depends on being rational. Persuasion is connected to rhetoric and logic is connected with rationality. In the example with the Ancient Greeks and the Ancient Indians,
Composition theory as it has embraced this particular story of Athenian rhetorical origins has also incorporated some of the discursive practices, pedagogy, and the making of knowledge that include the exclusionary spaces of rhetorics birthplace.
The two philosopher's manage to demonstrate the importance of analyzing philosophical questions from a broader perspective in a way that includes history, the social sciences and even aesthetics. The postmodern movement in general, demonstrates its merit by taking apart even the most mundane and seemingly universal concepts and analyzing them with a critical rigor. The analysis of efficiency is crucial to both of these thinkers; they both understand that resistance to the power structures is possible, and their work can help guide that
The Creation of a Method. With a clear understanding of how a token can be created not only in the workplace, but also in the larger political arena, a method must be applied to these tokens to discover if they in fact are a part of a unique type of rhetorical discourse. To do this, a number of different methods of criticism must be employed. There are, however, a
“Good sense is the best shared-out thing in the world;” (FTNT 2). In his Discourse on Method, Rene Descartes becomes one of the first philosophers of the early modern age to lay out some of the key aspects that would later come to define the Scientific Revolution. Much like the religious revolution, brought about by the Protestant Reformation, that ultimately forced a general paradigm shift and radical worldview change in European society, the intellectual or Scientific Revolution of the seventeenth century gave Western civilization a set of new, never before seen concepts which have proven to be a decisive, fundamental part of modern Western thought. Discourse on Method provides a concise review of Descartes’ important thoughts as one of
Post-modernism is a style in the arts, philosophy and criticism starting in the late 20th century. This style stands for a withdrawal from modernism and its notions of grand theories and ideologies. According to Roy Ascott, post-modernism’s focus is not form but rather behavior, not a one-way information model of sending and receiving a message. Post-modernism behaves more similarly to an interrogation of probabilities by the viewer. The artwork stand between two behaviors, the artist and the observer resulting in the generation of multiple meanings; however, the responsibility for constructing meaning belongs to the viewer. Art cannot originate in the artwork by itself, nor in the activity of the artist alone. This can best be understood as a system of probabilities that are highly entropic, in which the viewer becomes actively involved. Not necessarily in an act of closure like deciphering a concrete message from the artist which in itself is a passive process, but rather by questioning and interacting with the artwork to produce meaning. Post-modernism allows for a sort of transaction to take place between artist and viewer are both, as Umberto Eco would say, “gambling on the possibility of semiosis.”