The Rhetoric of Plato's Republic: Democracy and the by James L. Kastely

By James L. Kastely

Plato isn’t precisely considered a champion of democracy, and maybe even much less as a massive rhetorical theorist. during this ebook, James L. Kastely recasts Plato in precisely those lighting fixtures, providing a vibrant new interpreting of 1 of Plato’s most crucial works: the Republic. At center, Kastely demonstrates, the Republic is a democratic epic poem and pioneering paintings in rhetorical thought. reading problems with justice, conversation, persuasion, and viewers, he uncovers a seedbed of theoretical principles that resonate the entire approach as much as our modern democratic practices.

As Kastely indicates, the Republic starts off with interrelated crises: one rhetorical, one philosophical. within the first, democracy is defended by means of a discourse of justice, yet nobody can take this discourse heavily simply because not anyone can see—in an international the place the robust dominate the weak—how justice is a cost in itself. That price needs to be came upon philosophically, yet philosophy, as Plato and Socrates are aware of it, can succeed in merely the only a few. so one can achieve its higher political viewers, it needs to develop into rhetoric; it needs to turn into a persuasive a part of the bigger culture—which, at the moment, intended epic poetry. Tracing how Plato and Socrates formulate this change within the Republic, Kastely isolates an important concept of persuasion that's imperative to how we speak jointly approximately justice and manage ourselves in keeping with democratic ideas.

Show description

Read Online or Download The Rhetoric of Plato's Republic: Democracy and the Philosophical Problem of Persuasion PDF

Best rhetoric books

Toward a Rhetoric of Insult

From highschool cafeterias to the ground of Congress, insult is a very common and ubiquitous cultural perform with a protracted and earthy background. And but, this such a lot human of human behaviors has hardly been the topic of geared up and complete attention—until towards a Rhetoric of Insult.

Writing in Your Own Words

At some point soon of their stories such a lot scholars could have learn or been informed that they need to write 'using their very own words', or could have been warned approximately 'plagiarism' (that is, intentionally trying to move off a person else's paintings as your own). the matter is that, relatively first and foremost in their stories or while returning after an extended absence, scholars should not continually yes what 'writing on your personal phrases' ability.

Empowering Young Writers: The "Writers Matter" Approach

Introduced in center faculties within the fall of 2005, the "Writers topic" process was once designed to find how one can enhance the healthy among real English curricula, district/state criteria and, extra lately, the typical center Curriculum criteria for writing guideline. tailored from Erin Gruwell's profitable Freedom Writers application, "Writers topic" develops scholars' talents within the context of non-public progress, realizing others, and making broader connections to the area.

Extra info for The Rhetoric of Plato's Republic: Democracy and the Philosophical Problem of Persuasion

Sample text

25 If it cannot do this, then it has failed to meet Glaucon’s challenge, and it will simply confirm that people neither value justice nor desire to be just. It is not an exaggeration to say that the defense of justice represents the primary challenge for a democracy. In a democracy, an act of genuine persuasion should be considered heroic, for it embodies those ideals that allow a democracy to flourish. c h a p t e r t wo The Elenchic Victory and the Failure of Persuasion B ook 1 of the Republic is organized to bring out the difficulties that beset persuasion.

The classical prose authors evidently wanted to reach as many readers as possible and to persuade them to their view, creating and expanding their audience by they very act of writing artistic prose for an anonymous public. Whatever the readers actually were, they were addressed not as aristocrats or upper-class gentry, but as autonomous, thinking individuals. (“Protreptic Rhetoric of the Republic,” 11) If prose authors imagined that these “autonomous, thinking individuals” composed an audience for whom persuasion was a meaningful activity, then such individuals had to be citizens of a polis in which they could act on these changed beliefs.

His exit signals that for a character who operates from a conventional morality, there is no point in engaging with a philosopher to achieve a more secure understanding of justice. And because he is satisfied with his life, Cephalus has little interest in the discussion of justice. If Socrates had not raised the issue, it is uncertain whether Cephalus would, on his own, have worried much about it. Simple experience, even when it is the experience of a conventionally decent character, turns out not to promote serious thought about ethical problems and therefore is not a good guide for the ethical life.

Download PDF sample

Rated 4.26 of 5 – based on 23 votes