Rhetorical Stance in Gorgias and Phaedrus

Abstract

Chesterton and Booth attempt an understanding of both the positive and negative directions of rhetoric. Much of the current tension in rhetorical studies results from denying that rhetoric should concern itself with its negative counterpart. Unfortunately the popular opinion that all persuasion is negative cannot be answered by simple denial of concern. Both attitudes restrict and confuse the scope of rhetoric. The reactions of readers to Plato’s dialogues on rhetoric, Gorgias and Phaedrus, indicates the limits of the restriction. All too often readers concern themselves with one or the other depending upon whether they want to denigrate or uphold the art of persuasion. What they miss is that Plato moves from a single negative rhetoric to a recognition of both positive and negative directions. By acknowledging both, the Phaedrus is able to break through the limitations imposed on rhetoric by each partial view.