What is this website all about?
This website was designed with first-time students of rhetoric pertaining to the Greek Trilogy (The Sophists, Socrates & Plato, and Aristotle) in mind. Whether you're in high school, college, or just interested in this topic, this website is for you! Hopefully this site will be a relatively simple and useful resource to allow you to navigate the world of the Ancient Greek philosophers and how they viewed (and used) rhetoric. Each blog post covers a different school of thought and way of using rhetoric. Scroll down to the very first blog post on the home page and work your way back up to ensure that you get to learn about all of the philosophers in chronological order.
What else do I need to know?
We use a lot of new terminology when talking about rhetoric as it relates to the Ancient Greek Philosophers. Head on over to the glossary to study up on any terms you're not familiar with! Also please note, any words that are present in the glossary will be highlighted in light gray within the blog portion of the site the first time they are mentioned. Just click on the word and it will take you directly back to the glossary to look it up.
Why is knowing this information important?
Good question! By learning about several different philosophers and how they each interpreted and used (or didn't use) rhetoric, we get a well-rounded idea of what rhetoric is- the good, the bad, and the ugly. We use rhetoric every day, so it's important to understand its origins and some of the main points that define it. An awareness of where rhetoric comes from and how it functions can help improve your own writing, as well as help you recognize when its persuasive powers are being used on you. Our modern world is saturated with media and different people telling us all kinds of conflicting stories. A deeper understanding of rhetoric, I hope, will help you navigate that world more effectively.