Rhetoric

I read “The Rhetoric” because it features in a course on the art and science of leadership that I teach. Previously, I read the assigned portions, but felt it time to put the whole work on the completed list.

I agree with many reviews that identify it as influential, but not one of Aristotle's most fluid creditings. The lengthy consideration of ethos, pathos, and lagos means more to me as I have aged and found myself in leadership positions. Many will find The Rhetoric a form of manipulation, especially when we consider teaching aspiring leaders the skill. Yet, it runs deeper than that. As a leadership scholar, I look for ways to influence followers, and The Rhetoric drips with advice on that topic. Further, when you read of Aristotle educating his students on the importance of understanding one's audience all that time ago, it makes you wonder at just what point we forgot that simple advice.

Though the aspiring leader, politician, speaker, etc. must remember to inject a heavy dose of modern context I to these pages, The Rhetoric remains a classic for good reason.