Today marks the beginning of the serialization of Aristotle’s RHETORIC at the Castalia Library stack. Sign up for a free subscription there to read along and join in the discussion of it there for the next three months. And, better yet, sign up for a Library subscription to receive a copy of the current subscription book, also by Aristotle, namely, his METAPHYSICS.
Aristotle’s Rhetoric is one of the most useful and important analyses of human communication ever written. It is also one of the great philosopher’s least appreciated works, as it is easily mistaken for a mere technical breakdown of the various methods of persuasion, rather than what it truly is, a brilliant conceptual guide to understanding and anticipating human behavior. While a considerable portion of the text is devoted to the mechanics of the syllogism and the enthymeme, as well as the presentation of the inevitable lists which Aristotle characteristically constructs, by far the most important element of this little book is the philosopher’s division of humanity into two fundamental classes: those who are capable of learning through information, and those who are not.
This is such an important distinction that its complete absence from the schools and universities today is remarkable. It calls into question the basis of modern pedagogical systems and explains the mystery that has confounded every intelligent individual who has tried, and failed, to explain the obvious to another person. Indeed, it is comforting to have long-held suspicions about the intrinsic limitations of one’s fellow men confirmed so comprehensively.