Aristotle's rhetoric - Book-1

Rhetoric is the ancient art of argumentation and discourse...The earliest known studies of rhetoric come from the Golden Age when philosophers of ancient Greece discussed logos, ethos, and pathos.

http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/resource/rhet.html

Aristotle describes rhetoric as being useful because, when a judge decides against a speaker who speaks the truth and believes just things have a tendency to prevail over their opposites, the speaker is to blamed for his failure. When persuading an audience, it is noted that some people are simply not educated and must be instructed through persuasion. Persuasion must be used to clearly state the facts so that people are able to understand the clear facts.

There are three kinds of modes of persuasion; the first depends on the personal character of the speaker, the second involves putting the audience into a certain frame of mind and third is the proof that must be provided by the speech itself. The speaker must be able to reason logically, understand human character and its goodness, and to understand emotions. Persuasion must come through the hearers after their emotions are stirred by the speech.

The speaker, the subject, and the person addressed are the three elements in speech making. The hearer must be a judge who determines the speech's end and object.

Aristotle stated that the main matters on which all men deliberate and politicians make speeches about are ways and means, war and peace, national defense, imports and exports, and legislation. It seems as if subject matter has not changed much since his days. He believed that one must study the history of his own country as well as be familiar with the history and current affairs of other countries.

Happiness was important to Aristotle, with importance based on good birth, plenty of friends, good friends, wealth, good children and plenty of them, a happy old age, health, beauty, strength, large stature, athletic powers, fame, honour, good luck and virtue. He wanted it all.

Aristotle talks a lot about the concept of being good and what makes something good. Happiness is desirable and sufficient by itself. He believe that which most people seek after must be good and that which people praise must also be good because they would not praise it if it was not good. Things that are praiseworthy are noble and therefore, better. Men want to actually be better than they want to be seen because to aim at a goal is closer to reality. Summing up the definition of good is something that is dearly prized is better than what is not.