Supplementary Material (pages 2 – 5)

RHETORIC is the art of
PERSUASION.
It differs from LOGIC , which seeks to establish a conclusion.
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Rhetoric uses the psychological (rhetorical) force of expressions to influence our attitudes.
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EXAMPLE:
Calling a scientist a “so-called” scientist suggests he/she is something less than a true scientist.
It DOWNPLAYS his/her credentials.
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NOTHING WRONG with trying to be persuasive or with using rhetoric to dress up or sell an argument.
Good writers choose words carefully, to make their writing persuasive.
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But this is CRITICAL
THINKING!
It means not being SEDUCED by rhetoric.
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Being able to make wise decisions and reasonable and wellfounded judgments…
…depends largely on our ability to “see through” rhetoric to evidence and argument.
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We should be able to do this:
 Distinguish between rhetoric and argument
 Be able to identify the more common forms of rhetoric
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Specifically, these:
 Euphemism/ dysphemism
 Persuasive analogy, persuasive definition, and persuasive explanation
 Innuendo
 Loaded question
 Hyperbole
 Stereotype
 Ridicule/ sarcasm
 Weaseler
 Downplayer
 Proof surrogate
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Specific rhetorical devices.
 Ridicule/Sarcasm
“John McCain made a great speech last night.
Everyone awakened feeling refreshed.”
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Specific rhetorical devices.
 Hyperbole (hype; exaggeration)
“Is Deborah generous? She’d give you her life savings if she thought you were in need.”
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Specific rhetorical devices.
 Euphemism (makes it sound better)
“collateral damage”; “sleeping around”
 Dysphemism (makes it sound worse)
“junk food”; “geezer”
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 Rhetorical definition
“An environmentalist is a tree-hugging extremist.”
 Rhetorical explanation
“The reason environmentalists won’t let you cut down a tree is they want to put everyone out of work.”
 Rhetorical analogy
“Your average environmentalist is about as smart as a toilet seat.”
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 Stereotype
“What did he expect marrying her? She’s just a dumb blond .”
 Downplayer
“Pornography is a problem, but we must protect free speech.”
“These self-appointed experts on the environment are just trying to scare us.”
 Proof surrogate
“ Clearly she shouldn’t have done that.”
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 Innuendo
“I didn’t say Bush invaded Iraq to help his buddies in the oil industry. I just said his buddies have done very well since the invasion.”
 Weaseler “This may cure your problem.”
 Loaded question —rests on an assumption that should have been established but wasn’t
“When did you stop cheating on your girl friend?”
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One final caution:
 NEVER dismiss a statement or argument simply because it contains rhetoric.
Rhetoric has a legitimate place in discourse. A solid claim or a good argument may well contain powerful rhetoric.
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But don’t accept a statement/argument
BECAUSE of its rhetorical force. Evaluate it on its MERITS!
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