Have you ever
tried arguing with a little kid (a younger sibling, perhaps)? If not, consign
yourself to failure. Once they have their minds set on something, kids rarely will
deviate from their focus. Aristotle writes, “before some audiences not even the
possession of the exactest knowledge will make it easy for what we say to
produce conviction” (180). Why is this? “It may be said that every individual
man and all men in common aim at a certain end which determines what they
choose and what they avoid. This end, to sum it up briefly, is happiness and
its constituents” (Aristotle 188).
The little boy
in the video single-mindedly wanted a cupcake before dinner; no amount of reason
would’ve convinced him otherwise. In the same way, according to Aristotle, we
all deep down have just as strong a pursuit of happiness; no amount of reason
might convince us of something if it might deter our attainment of happiness.
However, as adults, we find ways to argue back, and our simple resistance isn’t
as readily apparent as that of a child. For example: a friend of mine refuses
to wear a helmet when she goes biking. Even though statistics suggest that it’s
probably a better idea to wear a helmet than not, my friend offers all sorts of
counter-arguments: “The neck strap is uncomfortable,” “I only bike short
distances,” “People can see me,” and “The traffic is light anyway.” She
basically thinks of a bike helmet of an inconvenience—which irritates her and
decreases her happiness. And thus, she refuses to be persuaded. “[A]ll men are
persuaded by considerations of their interest,” says Aristotle (196). This is
yet another reason why rhetors do well to know their audience and the motor
that drives them to happiness.
I appreciate so much the fact that you are able to find these real-life situations to apply to what we're reading in class. I think it's interesting, too, because only a couple of the philosophers we've read note that rhetoric should be used for current affairs or being able to apply the rhetoric to actual circumstances. It clearly shows that rhetoric is not something that was just discussed in the ancient times and is becoming less and less relevant; it's just being able to unpack the relevance to 2014 that becomes tricky. But, ultimately, I just need to thank you. Your posts always provide a sort of clarity for me.
ReplyDeleteAww, thanks Kim! I'm glad that you're enjoying my posts. :-) I agree with you--unpacking the relevance of our course material can sometimes be tricky, and as you can see, my mind usually takes strange routes to get to that point, lol. I so appreciate your encouragement.
DeleteI think your post directly acknowledges one of the most or perhaps the most significant issue that faces users of rhetoric. Humans are notorious for being nearly impossible to persuade. As freshman in Texts and Critics, our class was made to read an interesting piece of writing on the topic by journalist Chris Mooney (the comment box won't let me hyperlink, so you can use this URL to get there: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/03/denial-science-chris-mooney). Mooney insists that humans form their identity around certain beliefs, and if anything a user of rhetoric says contradicts them then they are likely to shut it out or argue against it. Religious arguments are probably the most common type to cause this sort of response.
ReplyDeleteSo what are we, as speakers and writers, to do when we are likely to encounter made up minds? Aristotle can make lengthy lists expounding upon different rhetorical methods. He can offer "special and common topics ... intended to help the rhetor invent material for any kind of discourse" (Bizzell and Herzberg 173). Even with all of this advice, a rhetor is going to have difficulty persuading members of an audience if they have already made up their minds.
Please note that the above spacing error is what occurs when one attempts to insert a long URL into a blog that uses a justified format. My apologies.
DeleteHey Nathan, I've read that article too, but I'm so glad you reminded me of it and included the URL! This definitely supports what Aristotle said about "made up minds" while being a lot more accessible. Thanks!
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