Advances in the History of Rhetoric Jul 2011

Revisiting Human Nature: A Thomistic Rationale for the Necessity of Rhetoric

Jeffrey J. Maciejewski

Abstract

ABSTRACT In addition to rhetorical theorists, historians of rhetoric mistakenly believe that Aristotle carefully articulated how the use of rhetoric may be thought of as being human. Here, insofar as I believe he left this work undone, I offer an ontological framework to conceive of rhetoric as intrinsic to human nature, using the essentialist paradigm espoused by Aristotle and expanded upon by St. Thomas Aquinas as a theoretical foundation. A prefatory theory is proposed that rhetoric might be thought of as being natural for its teleological orientation toward action.

Journal
Advances in the History of Rhetoric
Published
2011-07-01
DOI
10.1080/15362426.2011.613294
CompPile
Search in CompPile ↗
Topics
rhetorical theory

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (0)

No articles in this index cite this work.

Cites in this index (0)

No references match articles in this index.

Also cites 12 works outside this index ↓
  1. Bender (1990)
    Rhetoricality: On the Modernist Return of Rhetoric
     ↗
  2. Blair (1992)
    Contested Histories of Rhetoric: The Politics of Preservation, Progress, and Change
    Quarterly Journal of Speech  ↗
  3. Brummett (1982)
    The Forum: On to Rhetorical Relativism
    Quarterly Journal of Speech  ↗
  4. Finnis (1998)
    Aquinas: Moral, Political, and Legal Theory
     ↗
  5. Finnis (2005)
    Foundations of Practical Reason Revisited
    American Journal of Jurisprudence  ↗
  6. Maciejewski (2006)
    Natural Law, Natural Rhetoric and Rhetorical Perversions
    Proceedings of the American Catholic Philosophical Association  ↗
  7. Maciejewski (2010)
    Persuasive Reasoning and Defective Action
    Heythrop Journal  ↗
  8. Siegel (1968)
    Rhetoric and Philosophy in Renaissance Humanism: The Union of Eloquence and Wisdom, Petra…
     ↗
  9. Simpson (2001)
    Aristotle's Idea of the Self
    Journal of Value Inquiry  ↗
  10. Walker (2000)
    Rhetoric and Poetics in Antiquity
     ↗
  11. Walzer (1999)
    Campbell on the Passions: A Rereading of the Philosophy of Rhetoric
    Quarterly Journal of Speech  ↗
  12. Westberg (1994)
    Right Practical Reason: Aristotle, Action, and Prudence in Aquinas
     ↗
CrossRef global citation count: 0 View in citation network →

Related Articles

  1. Rhetoric of Health and Medicine Feb 2026
    The Ambiguous Narrative of Dick Johnson is Dead (2020) ↗
    Nathaniel Aron
    rhetorical theory
  2. College Composition and Communication Feb 2026
    Investigating Undergraduate L2 Students’ Source Use Development in a Semi-Disciplinary Writing Context ↗
    Soomin Jwa
    rhetorical theory literacy studies quantitative research multimodality
  3. Praxis: A Writing Center Journal 2026
    More Than a Celebration: Writing Center Anniversaries as Epideictic Rhetoric ↗
    writing centers rhetorical theory
  4. Philosophy & Rhetoric Oct 2025
    Taxis Over Style? ↗
    Philippe-Joseph Salazar
    rhetorical theory voice and style
  5. Philosophy & Rhetoric Oct 2025
    McKeon on Rhetoric and Technology: The Challenge of 0 (Zero) ↗
    Reingard Nethersole
    rhetorical theory argument