The Evolution of Rhetoric: What Does Rhetoric Mean to Us Today?

Change happens constantly in our society, whether we realize it or not. Changes in the way we think, the way we act, and modifications to our viewpoints can all occur over thousands of years or even in a matter of days. The same can be said about the concept of rhetoric; it is an ever-changing topic that has grown and transformed into what it is today.

Recently in class, we learned about the roots of rhetoric, the reasons for its formation, and how rhetoric is evident in our daily lives during the 21st century. 

One of the major, distinguishable differences between ancient rhetoric and modern rhetoric is the way that factual evidence is viewed. Back in Athens in the fifth century BCE, arguments were usually generated from beliefs that the community held. Contrastingly, today, facts are a staple of any strong claim, while opinions are often dismissed and glossed over. 

Think of politicians and how people fact-check their speeches constantly to ensure that the candidate's arguments are factual and true. Without these facts backing up their arguments, would you still believe them?  Their argument is certainly enhanced by the addition of facts to their claim, contributing positively to both their logos and ethos. 

Now envision a disagreement between you and your best friend over what ice cream flavor is the most popular at Ben & Jerry's. Your friend thinks that Vanilla Caramel Fudge is the best flavor, and they know many other people that like this flavor the best. They're taking the community beliefs of many to form them into an opinion about the most popular ice cream flavor. But you, on the other hand, look up the most popular flavor online and find it to be The Tonight Dough. You backed up your claim with the factual evidence that you have from Ben & Jerry's website. 

An outsider who doesn't know much about the topic would probably believe the person with factual evidence more. Whenever facts can be used, they should be used to enhance your argument and make it more trustworthy.

An additional aspect of rhetoric that was used back when rhetoric was first invented but has since fizzled out of practice is the use of proper listening skills. Today, discussions are frequently interrupted by impatient people that cannot wait their turn to speak and do not listen carefully to what their counterpart has to say. 

Congressman Joe Wilson is an excellent example of this when he yelled "you lie" during one of President Obama's speeches. He should have rhetorically engaged in Obama's speech better by listening and then responding with his opinions only when the time and place was appropriate. Similarly, we need to ensure that we hear all of the different perspectives that are being presented before we jump to a conclusion and interrupt another person.

Due to rhetoric's constantly changing nature, we need to adapt to the way our current society views rhetoric. This can be achieved by using factual evidence whenever we have the opportunity to do so and by listening attentively and only responding when the place and time are fitting. 

Often times we don't realize that we're practicing good rhetoric behaviors, but, over time, these behaviors will turn into habits. I believe that by adhering to these new ideas of what rhetoric is, we can become better rhetors and be more persuasive in our arguments.