Philosophy & Rhetoric Sep 2012

Rhetoric's Other:

Lisbeth Lipari Denison University

Abstract

Abstract It does not seem terribly unfair to say that studies of both rhetoric and dialogue have tended, by and large, to pass over listening in favor of speaking. In scholarly as well as quotidian parlance, it would appear that both rhetoric and dialogue are principally concerned with speech, banishing listening to the silent subservience of rhetoric's other. Whichever way it is glossed—as rhetoric, dialogue, language, or argumentation—the Western conception of logos emphasizes speaking at the expense of listening (Fiumara 1990). And the problem with conceiving of logos in terms of speech and speaking is not only that it ignores the importance of listening but also that it obscures how listening makes the ethical response possible. Drawing on the philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas, this article examines the ethical exigency of the face and its relation to primordial discourse in order to disclose the otherwise hidden ethical significance of listening and its vocation as a form of co-constitutive communicative action that can “listen persons to speech.”

Journal
Philosophy & Rhetoric
Published
2012-09-01
DOI
10.5325/philrhet.45.3.0227
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Topics
rhetorical criticism discourse analysis argument
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (6)

  1. Micke et al. (2025)
    Epideictic Listening: From a Reflective Case Study to a Theory of Community Ethos
    Rhetoric Society Quarterly
  2. Hotez (2024)
    Interrupting Identity: Zionism and the Palestinian Other
    Rhetoric Review
  3. Musgrave (2018)
    The Rupture as Ethical Imperative: Reading thePhaedrusthrough Levinas's Ethics
    Philosophy & Rhetoric
  4. Micke et al. (2016)
    Sustainability, Place, and Rhetoric: A Case Study of a Levinasian Pedagogy of R…
    Reflections: A Journal of Community-Engaged Writing and Rhetoric
  5. Pinchevski (2014)
    Levinas as a Media Theorist:
    Philosophy & Rhetoric
Show all 6 →
  1. Reeves (2013)
    Suspended Identification:
    Philosophy & Rhetoric

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CrossRef global citation count: 29 View in citation network → Build reading path →

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