The domain of rhetoric
What is #rhetoric for?
There exists a simplistic distinction between "convincing someone of something" and "proving it". One is about being right (att ha rätt); finding a conclusion that's true independent of what others think, via logic/philosophy/research. The other is about showing yourself right (att få rätt); getting the listeners to believe in something independently of whether it's true or not.
This is a common view, but even for Aristotle it was a too simple distinction. It's actually about two separate kinds of questions:
- where the answer can only be one way
- where the answer could be in any way (can never be settled once and for all). "That which could be different". This, he means, is where rhetoric can be applied.
If I understand correctly, the sophists would have merged both and then said that rhetoric both creates knowledge and proves it. See Knowledge production.
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