The Rhetorical Sense of Philosophy
Donald Phillip Verene
Abstract
Philosophy and rhetoric are both old enemies and old friends. This book sets out to shift our understanding of the relationship between philosophy and rhetoric from that of separation to one of close association. The book outlines how ancient rhetors focused on the impact of language regardless of truth, ancient philosophers utilized language to test truth; and ultimately, this separation of right reasoning from rhetoric has remained intact throughout history. It is time, the book argues, to reassess this ancient and misunderstood relationship. The book traces this argument utilizing the writi ... More
Philosophy and rhetoric are both old enemies and old friends. This book sets out to shift our understanding of the relationship between philosophy and rhetoric from that of separation to one of close association. The book outlines how ancient rhetors focused on the impact of language regardless of truth, ancient philosophers utilized language to test truth; and ultimately, this separation of right reasoning from rhetoric has remained intact throughout history. It is time, the book argues, to reassess this ancient and misunderstood relationship. The book traces this argument utilizing the writing of ancient and modern authors from Plato and Aristotle to Descartes and Kant; it also explores the quarrel between philosophy and poetry, as well as the nature of speculative philosophy. The author's argument culminates in a unique analysis of the frontispiece as a rhetorical device in the works of Hobbes, Vico, and Rousseau. The book bridges the stubborn gap between these two fields, arguing that rhetorical speech both brings philosophical speech into existence and allows it to endure and be understood. The book depicts the inevitable intersection between philosophy and rhetoric, powerfully illuminating how a rhetorical sense of philosophy is an attitude of mind that does not separate philosophy from its own use of language.
Keywords:
rhetoric,
ancient rhetors,
language,
Plato,
Aristotle,
Descartes,
Kant,
poetry,
speculative philosophy,
rhetorical speech
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2021 |
Print ISBN-13: 9781501756344 |
| Published to Cornell Scholarship Online: January 2022 |
DOI:10.7591/cornell/9781501756344.001.0001 |
