Richard J.

Schoeck

The Practical Tradition of Classical Rhetoric

In Rhetoric and Praxis, Ed Jean Dietz Moss, 23-41

1986, The Catholic University of America Press

Washington, D.C.

24 “…[T]he art of rhetoric is one of our oldest and most enduring inheritances from
the classical period, and it has never lost its usefulness or its relevance to the
widest possible spectrum of problems and situations in a long sequence of changing
societies.”

Riff: it has been of use for thousands of years, it still will be of use; regardless
of how people may respond to the names and labels given to it, it would be silly to
ignore its importance and applications.

“During the long stretch of time from its beginnings twenty-five centures ago until
today, rhetoric has always been thought to be highly practical, and the relation
between the theory and practice of rhetoric and the society it serves is one which
will tell us much about the value that society puts upon rhetoric, recognizing its
need and its potential value—especially in the estimation of the individual’s
capacity and responsibility for making decisions and responding rationally to
eloquence.” (Schoeck The Practical Tradition of Classical Rhetoric, In Rhetoric and
Praxis, Ed Jean Dietz Moss, 25)

Riff: tradition of being highly practical and valued; link to paideia as not just
part of Greek culture, but also of the educational tradition of the west; it has been
highly valued, like rhetorical skill, and needs to be attended to (this may be weak,
but it’s worth thinking about).

25 rhetoric as one of most practical application because it develops three kinds of

eloquence:

Judicial; deliberative; panegyrical/epideictic

29 Cites a professor Michel that from Greek rhetoric flowed two modes of enquiry
that must be distinguished: dialogue and manual (Phaedrus and Aristotle’s
Rhetorica) [near word for word here]
 Riff: Does this mean that the two most basic modes for persuasion were
initially the dialogue and manual? It would seem that was what Michel is stating.
Then again, it is a how-to and a let’s talk. Part of me wonders if this not also be one
of the reasons why how-to/DIY shows are so popular—the manual—and talk
shows/dialogue are so popular. Do they go back to cultural patterns which are so
familiar that we embrace them without thinking about them too much?

30 Quintilian stressed that “…the first essential of a perfect orator was that he be a
good man…”

Riff: that begs the question what is a good man? This appears to link to the
importance of being in integrity with yourself and your ideas so that what you have
to say has ethos, has credibility, and rings as true isntead of setting off the bullshit
detectors.

30-34 Because Cicero and Quintilian’s works influenced the construction of

arguments used in courts and in gov’ts (see essay again for particulars laid out
there) as well as later impact in the construction of sermons in the Christian
religion, rhetoric has been a very vital, active, practical and engaged tool in the
construction of society and cultures. In short, people in positions of power and
influence used and adapated classical rhetorical methods to their own
circumstances and situations of power/institutions and created their own using
these same tools.

These are patterns of thinking/construction/ argumentation throughout

western thought.

40 Rhetoric: another defintion

“…it is the use of language which comes into being in response to human
needs, which is born out of the urgencies of a particular human situation in a
moment of history, which forms uniquely the expression and discovers the
necessary means and form for the confrontation of human beings with other human
beings and then moves through language and rhetoric toward understanding each
of the other.”

Riff: wow. Use this. Think about it.