The Philosophy Of Rhetoric - Softcover

George Campbell

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0371918472 ISBN 13: 9780371918470

Publisher: HardPress

Synopsis

The Philosophy Of Rhetoric by George Campbell. The Philosophy Of Rhetoric is a two-volume work that develops a comprehensive theory of rhetoric as the art of communication, grounded in an empirical understanding of the human mind. Campbell argues that eloquence is the art of adapting speech to its ends, with four main aims: enlightening the understanding, pleasing the imagination, moving the passions, and influencing the will. He links rhetoric to logic and grammar, asserting that mastery of thought, expression, and audience is essential to persuasive speech. The text lays out the sources of evidence—intuitive, deductive (scientific and moral), memory, experience, analogy, and testimony—and explains how both empirical science and moral philosophy inform rhetorical practice. Campbell emphasizes the role of memory and experience in forming general principles from observed facts, while insisting that theory should be anchored in natural human faculties. He discusses wit, humor, and ridicule, and differentiates public speaking into the bar, the senate, and the pulpit, noting how audience, occasion, subject, and end shape rhetorical strategy. The Preface and Introduction articulate the method and aims of the work, defending the project against concerns about style and pace.

Edition details

• Publisher: HardPress
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0371918472
• ISBN 13: 9780371918470
• Binding: Paperback