Philosophy & Rhetoric Aug 2016

The Psychagogic Work of Examples in Plato's<i>Statesman</i>

Holly G. Moore

Abstract

AbstractThis paper explores the role of examples (paradeigmata) as propaedeutic to philosophical inquiry, in light of a methodological digression in Plato's Statesman. Consistent with scholarship on Aristotle's view of example, scholars of Plato's work have privileged the logic of examples over their rhetorical appeal. Following a small but significant trend in recent rhetorical scholarship that emphasizes the affective nature of examples, this article assesses the psychagogic potential of paradeigmata, following the discussion of example in Plato's Statesman. I argue that by creating an expectation in the learner that he or she will find similarities, the use of examples in philosophical pedagogy engages his or her desire to discern the intelligible principles that ground experiential knowledge. Thus, examples not only serve as practice at the dialectician's method of abstraction but also cultivate a dialectical ēthos, characterized by the desire to know the logoi of all things.

Journal
Philosophy & Rhetoric
Published
2016-08-22
DOI
10.5325/philrhet.49.3.0300
Open Access
Closed
Topics
rhetorical theory multilingual writers affect and writing

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (1)

  1. Terry (2022)
    William James and the Pragmatic Rhetoric of Exemplary Figures: Inspirations for…
    Rhetoric Society Quarterly

Cites in this index (1)

  1. Stroud (2011)
    Kant on Education and the Rhetorical Force of the Example
    Rhetoric Society Quarterly
Also cites 19 works outside this index ↓
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  3. De Chiara-Quenzer, Deborah. 1998. “The Purpose of the Philosophical Method in Plato's Statesman.” Apeiron: A …
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CrossRef global citation count: 1 View in citation network →

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