Book description
HarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved,
essential classics.
Despite dating from the 4th century BC, The Art of Rhetoric continues to
be regarded by many as the single most important work on the art of
persuasion. As democracy began emerging in 5th-century Athens, public
speaking and debate became an increasingly important tool to garner
influence in the assemblies, councils, and law courts of ancient Greece.
In response to this, both politicians and ordinary citizens became
desperate to learn greater skills in this area, as well as the
philosophy behind it. This treatise was one of the first to provide just
that, establishing methods and observations of informal reasoning and
style, and has continued to be hugely influential on public speaking and
philosophy today.
Aristotle, the grandfather of philosophy, student of Plato, and teacher
of Alexander the Great, was one of the first people to create a
comprehensive system of philosophy, encompassing logic, morality,
aesthetics, politics, ethics, and science. Although written over 2,000
years ago, The Art of Rhetoric remains a comprehensive introduction for
philosophy students into the subject of rhetoric, as well as a useful
manual for anyone today looking to improve their oratory skills of
persuasion. The Greek philosopher Aristotle (384 BC-322 BC) is,
alongside Plato, who taught Aristotle, and Socrates, one of the most
important figures in Western philosophy.
