Heuristic Rhetoric: Principles and Practice

ISBN-13: 9783030984816 / Angielski / Twarda / 2022 / 290 str.

Gabor Tahin

Spis treści

Part I. Principles

1. 

• 1. Classics Rhetoric
• 2. Rhetoric and the Modern World
• 3. The Emergence of Heuristic Rhetoric
• 4. The Character and Moral Responsibility of the Orator

2. Contingency

• 1. Preliminary Contingencies
• 2. Contingencies of Language and Arguments
• 3. Contingencies of Delivery
• 4. Contingencies Created by the Orator

3. Probability 

• 1. The Probability of Argument, Narrative and Evidence
• 2. The Plausibility of the Speech
• 3. The Credibility of the Orator

4. Temporality 

• 1. External Aspects of Temporality
• 2. Internal Aspects of Temporality

5. Strategic Construction

• 1. Strategic Constructions in Classical and Modern Rhetoric and Oratory
• 2. Strategic Construction in Heuristic Rhetoric

6. 'Heuremes' - Patterns of Persuasive Argument

• 1. 'Initial Adjustment'
• 2. 'Representativeness' 
• 3. 'Thematic Replacement'
• 4. 'Constrastive Probabilities' 
• 5. 'Parallel Probabilities' 
• 6. 'Simplification'
• 7. 'Summary of 'Heuremes' 

Part II. Practice

7. Classical Oratory

• 1. Antiphon: On the Murder of Herodes
• 2. Cicero: In Defence of Milo

8. Modern Oratory

• 1. Barack Obama: 'Speech at Election Night in 2008, and Donald Trump: Inauguration Speech
• 2. Angel Merkel: 'An Address to the Nation'
• 3. Vladimir Putin: 'Crimean Speech'
• 4. Mao Zedong: 'Speech at the Lushan Conference' 
• 5. Aung San Suu Kyi: 'Speech at the International Court of Justice'
• 6. Pope Francis: 'Address to the United Nations General Assembly'
• 7. Ursula Burns: 'Speech for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's 145th Commencement' 

O autorze

Gábor Tahin is Head of Classics at Clifton College, Bristol, UK. His research interests include the philosophy and theory of rhetoric, Classical rhetoric, strategies of persuasive reasoning, and the practice of oratory.

 

Blurb

This book introduces a novel approach to the analysis and practice of persuasive speaking and writing: heuristic rhetoric. The new method has evolved to fulfil the need at universities, government departments, political organisations, business enterprises and other public institutions for a modern practical alternative to classical rhetoric, which is, in the author’s view, no longer capable of giving a complete description of contemporary, predominantly mediatised, forms of public persuasive discourse, whilst other competing disciplines, such as critical discourse analysis or strategic manoeuvring, have not yet produced a set of tools, which have the comprehensive nature and practical orientation of Classical Greek and Roman rhetorical system. The book expounds heuristic rhetoric as an inter-disciplinary method to develop advanced skills of critical and strategic reasoning. Applying a novel set of principles for the strategic analysis of persuasive reasoning in complex rhetorical situations, the method emphasizes preparing and continuously adjusting argumentation according to the demands of unpredictable circumstances.

Gábor Tahin is Head of Classics at Clifton College, Bristol, UK. His research interests include the philosophy and theory of rhetoric, Classical rhetoric, strategies of persuasive reasoning, and the practice of oratory.