Aristotle was the student of Plato. He also tutored Alexander the Great. (Lee 2017)
Aristotelian Epistemology
Although he was the student of Plato, Aristotle disagreed with Plato's view of Truth, and found that it was impractical. Aristotelian epistemology is empiricism. He believed absolute Truths could be observed through science.
Rhetoric
Although Aristotle believed we could find absolute Truths through science, he recognized "rhetoric as an art that is crucial to human survival" (Smith 63) and believed it could be taught. He defined rhetoric as "the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion" (Aristotle 8).
He considered rhetoric useful because it:
“Allows truth and justice to triumph over falsehood and injustice”
Is “instructive” and “helps us to make things known”
Allows someone to persuade general audiences
Is “useful in disputation”
“Is as important to self-defense as physical prowess” (Smith 66).
He believed we can use rhetoric to find probable truths; he believed "probable truth, not certainty, determines the answers to the most important questions" (Smith 67). He believed that rhetoric and dialect could and should be used together to arrive at probable truths, to share them, and to deliver absolute Truths (Lee 2017). Aristotle also viewed knowing and meeting the expectations of the audience as the key to being a successful and persuasive rhetor (Lee 2017).
He, like Plato & Aristotle, looked down on the Sophists. He believed they put "too much emphasis on the emotions, style, and delivery" (Smith 67).
Artistic Proofs
Aristotle came up with the Artistic Proofs, which are the three audience appeals you probably have learned or talked about in a high school English class. The three appeals are Ethos, Pathos and Logos.
Ethos appeals to credibility. According to Aristotle, there are three aspects of ethos. Phronesis shows wisdom or expertise. Arêteshows the virtues of the speaker. Eunioashows that the speaker is considering the audience's best interest.
Pathos appeals to emotion. Aristotle recognized that emotions are important in terms of persuasion, but viewed it as not as good of an appeal as Logos. He noted word-choice and styleare important vices to control pathos.
Logos appeals to logic. According to Aristotle, there are three aspects of logos. Enthymemesare "deductive arguments, rhetorical syllogisms based on probable premises accepted by the audience" (handout). Inductive Argumentsor examples are arguments "built around telling examples, which can be drawn from actual or fictitious events" (Smith 77). Maxims "concern what is to be chosen or avoided in human action" (Smith 78).
Types of Speech
Aristotle categorized types of speeches into three categories: Deliberative,Epideictic, and Forensic. Think of deliberative speeches as those used in politics. Think of epideictic speeches as those used in ceremonies such as wedding speeches or a eulogy. Think of forensic speeches as those given by a lawyer in a legal setting. The chart below is helpful in categorizing speeches in terms of Aristotle's types of speech.
This chart was retrieved from Rory Lee's document "Aristotle".