Leff and Scott Readings

Leff's history of rhetoric and examination of the evolution of the art are helpful for understanding what rhetoric has become today. I do not maintain that rhetoric is confined to politics, "contained within some substantive domain," but that it has become a tool to be applied to many circumstances in many forms as "a power that ranges over various domains" (58). Anyone can become a rhetorician, and any means [oration, writing, song, drawing] can be utilized to package the rhetoric.
I agree with Scott's premise that rhetoric is "a way of knowing" the truth (138), but not with the logic behind this assertion. I do not believe that rhetoric is a way of knowing truth as meaning rhetoric is a way of discovering and creating truth for oneself. I believe that rhetoric is a way of expressing and defining objective truth which is already established. One may find rhetorical practice to be a way of knowing the truth more fully, or one may use rhetoric as a tool for others to gain knowledge of pre-existing absolute truth. The pre-existence of truth is not refuted by Scott's claim that "if one can act with certainty of truth, then any effects of that action can be viewed as inevitable" and "the individual acting is not responsible" (137). In fact, the individual acting is thus even more responsible for his actions since he knows exactly the consequences of acting in violation of truth. I believe in absolute truth. And I believe that rhetoric is an effective means of promoting and maintaining positions made powerful through the proof and standard established in truth as the basis and force of the argument.