Scott and Leff Readings

<> Leff’s article addresses the subject of categorizing rhetoric and trying to find a place for it. On the one hand, the neo-Aristotelians believed that rhetoric was an art “contained” within the boundaries of politics. On the other hand, the neo-sophists thought rhetoric to be a “containing force”, not limited to politics, but able to cover any subject, “containing whatever matter it encounters” (53). Though the two groups had different ideas of where rhetoric’s place was, both focus on the concept of the process being more important than the product of rhetoric. Over time, the placement of rhetoric evolved and in the twentieth century, people mainly saw rhetoric as a container, like the neo-sophists did. The evolving opinion of the place of rhetoric was exemplified in Bryant’s two definitions of rhetoric. Whereas in 1953, his definition placed rhetoric as a type of discourse, in the 1970s, his definition changed to an element within discourse. It switched to emphasizing the process as opposed to the product. There is no specific word assigned to something that is a product of rhetoric, but Leff goes on to suggest that decorum is used to make sense out of a discourse and turn out a product. It “orders the elements of a discourse and rounds them out into a coherent product relative to the occasion” (62).
Smith’s article centers on the concept of certainty in relation to rhetoric. He quotes Thevenaz’ words: “Man acts and speaks before he knows. Or, better, it is by acting and in action that he is enabled to know” (137). Past experiences might help provide a glimpse towards the truth, but certainty is never present. People must act without knowing. They should have good motives, and also take responsibility for the bad consequences, should they happen as a result of that person’s actions. What does this have to do with a rhetorician? If truth is “to be created moment by moment in the circumstances in which he finds himself”, the rhetorician is creating truth to be passed on to others by speaking in the moment of urgency (138). He is speaking when all is being experienced. But this truth is only temporary. A week later, this truth will be a past experience and uncertainty will present itself again.