COMM 4364 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Quintilian, Ramism, Antireligion
Rhetoric (eloquence): speaking
Ramus’s Arguments:
1. The ability to reason is innate in human beings
2. Philosophy: developing sound thinking
Internal: Mental interpretation , argument
3. Rhetoric: developing the skill of speaking
External: Verbal Explanation
Ramus on Virtue/morality & Speech
(Ramus v. Quintilian)
On quintilian;s definition of “oratory”
“such definition of an orator seems to me is useless and stupid”
“in no one of these does he fit in the moral philosophy which he now attributes to
rhetoric”
Ramus’s Argument: The study and practice of moral philosophy (through dialectic)
mot the study of skill in speaking, teaches
“Ramism”
-The Ramistic Influence”
Ramus’s Gain is Rhetoric’s Loss
1. Rhetoric loses its epistemic power
Episteme: GK understanding, knowledge
Rhetoric & speech have nothing to do with creating and organizing
ideas or arguments
2. Rhetoric loses its credibility
-“Speech is the garment to clothe our reason”
-Do not cloud the explanation of your reasoning: choose a “plain”
style of speaking
The enlightenment (The decline of Rhetoric)
The age of enlightenment
Where: England, France, United States, Scotland
What: 1. The scientific revolution (rise of the scientific method)
-ends up very anti-religion, but not anti-religious
-An anti-supernaturalist paradigm
-Separate faith from reason: privilege reason
-Refound everything on rational principles
2. Chief philosophic concern: epistemology
“how does the human mind learn?”
“how does it come to know”
3. Emphasis on “Systematic doubt”
4. CHIEF political concern: The “rights of man”
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Document Summary
Ramus"s arguments: the ability to reason is innate in human beings, philosophy: developing sound thinking. Internal: mental interpretation , argument: rhetoric: developing the skill of speaking. Ramus on virtue/morality & speech (ramus v. quintilian) Such definition of an orator seems to me is useless and stupid . In no one of these does he fit in the moral philosophy which he now attributes to rhetoric . Ramus"s argument: the study and practice of moral philosophy (through dialectic) mot the study of skill in speaking, teaches. Ramus"s gain is rhetoric"s loss: rhetoric loses its epistemic power. Rhetoric & speech have nothing to do with creating and organizing ideas or arguments: rhetoric loses its credibility. Speech is the garment to clothe our reason . Do not cloud the explanation of your reasoning: choose a plain style of speaking. The scientific revolution (rise of the scientific method)
