CMST 2060 Chapter : CMST
Document Summary
The art: referring to rhetoric as an art distinguishes it from a mere instinctual or unreflective talent. Art thus does not mean an intuitive creativity or genius lacking in method. Quite the opposite, art requires the application of rational concepts and methods in the creative process of guiding situated judgment. Of presenting pressing public concerns: except for matters of idle curiosity, the only reason we voluntarily expose ourselves to rhetorical discourse is because it speaks to a shared concern that is in the forefront of our consciousness. We listen to rhetoric with the hope that the person speaking might be able to suggest a path out of our current predicament or a solution to our current problem. By employing deliberate persuasive strategies: persuasion is often accidental or a product of sheer luck. This does not alter its function as a persuasive message, but it does change how we evaluate it in terms of art.
