Rhetoric: Its functions and its scope

Bryant, Donald C.

doi:10.1080/00335635309381908

Cited by 140 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 7 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The need to adapt to the rhetorical situation and its audience is the key insight of the rhetorical tradition (Bitzer, 1968;Bryant, 1953;Wichelns, 1925). So it is no surprise that rhetoric is quite comfortable with the notion of strategy.…”

Section: The Problemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nonfallacious Rhetorical Strategies: Lyndon Johnson’s Daisy Ad

Jacobs¹

2007

Argumentation

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The traditional concepts of rhetorical strategy and argumentative fallacy cannot be readily reconciled. Doing so requires escaping the following argument: All argumentation involves rhetorical strategies. All rhetorical strategies are violations of logical or dialectical ideals. All violations of logical or dialectical ideals are fallacies. Normative pragmatics provides a perspective in which rhetorical strategies can be seen to have the potential for constructive contributions to argumentation and in which fallacies are not simply violations of ideals. One kind of constructive contribution, framing moves, is illustrated with the case of Lyndon JohnsonÕs 1964 TV campaign commercial known as the Daisy ad.One of the central problems for argumentation theory is how to integrate the insights of rhetorical theory with those of logic and dialectical theory (see the various contributions to Houtlosser, 2000a, 2002a). This is not something that can be done easily by just, say, incorporating one kind of theory in the other, declaring parallel or complementary theoretical perspectives, identifying equivalent terms or adopting a common vocabulary, delineating the different subject-matters associated with each kind of theory, or simply using insights from all perspectives as deemed convenient in research projects or critical practice. There are real conflicts of principle and genuine conceptual contradictions among these traditions of theorizing, though not always easily uncovered and even less easily resolved. Given all the conceptual tensions we find among theories within traditions surely we should expect difficulties when looking across traditions.The traditional concepts of rhetorical strategy and argumentative fallacy present one such problem. In previous papers I have argued that these concepts are incompatible as they stand (Jacobs, 2000(Jacobs, , 2002(Jacobs, , 2005. Certain assumptions about rhetorical strategy and argumentative fallacy block efforts to genuinely integrate logical and dialectical theories of argumentation with rhetorical theories. The problem arises from the traditional understanding of what can and should properly

show abstract

Section: The Problemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nonfallacious Rhetorical Strategies: Lyndon Johnson’s Daisy Ad

Jacobs¹

2007

Argumentation

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Although the scope and boundaries of rhetoric continue to be debated, theorists have acknowledged that people use language to effect changes in the behavior of other people in a variety of contexts, including those in which the speaker acts as advocate, preacher, reformer, and messiah (Bryant, 1953). Some theorists, however, view rhetorical intent as inhering in the human use of symbols.…”

Section: The Consultant As Rhetormentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These decisions may be "suboptimal" from the standpoint of any specific group of actors, but are necessary if individuals with differing values are to cooperate (Cushman & Tompkins, 1980). In the situation just described the decision is an emergent product of rhetorical transactions (Fisher, 1970) and the rhetor's function is to mediate between ideas and people, "adjusting" each to the other, as Bryant (1953) has suggested, to produce acceptable compromises. Since the solution to be implemented is an outcome of rhetorical discourse, ethical considerations begin to revolve around how that discourse is conducted-or the process that the rhetor uses to achieve coordinated action.…”

Section: The Consultant As Rhetormentioning

confidence: 99%

Toward an ethical framework for communication consulting

Harrison

1982

Journal of Applied Communication Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Furthermore, rhetoricians have long shown a fondness for poetic definitions, like defining rhetoric as "the rationale of informative and suasory discourse" (emphasis in the original). 24 If we want to be clear, however, we need a more precise definition.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

What Do You Mean, Rhetoric Is Epistemic?

Harpine¹

2004

Philosophy and Rhetoric

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Rhetoric: Its functions and its scope

Cited by 140 publications

References 7 publications

Nonfallacious Rhetorical Strategies: Lyndon Johnson’s Daisy Ad

Nonfallacious Rhetorical Strategies: Lyndon Johnson’s Daisy Ad

Toward an ethical framework for communication consulting

What Do You Mean, Rhetoric Is Epistemic?

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About