The Greeks, Pragmatism, and the Endless Mediation of Rhetoric and Philosophy

Edward Schiappa Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article begins by revisiting the Greek origins of the terms “rhetoric” and “philosophy” from a nominalist and antiessentialist perspective. Though both terms were given early shape by Plato, Isocrates offered a different take on philosophia that arguably is equally legitimate, even if largely neglected historically. In contemporary scholarship, the question is not what is rhetoric or what is philosophy, but what can be gained by deploying rhetorical and philosophical vocabularies to describe and understand the world. Given the problems facing us today, philosophers and rhetoric scholars should engage each other to address challenges where our interests converge.

Journal
Philosophy & Rhetoric
Published
2017-11-15
DOI
10.5325/philrhet.50.4.0552
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