Lately I’ve been thinking about the power of Rhetoric. I’m sure we have all found the following to be true:
Anyone at any time can say anything that may or may not be completely or even partially true.
Anyone making a case may or may not have a lot or even a little bit of concrete or circumstantial evidence to support their argument.
Either way, that person will inevitably find some people that will and won’t believe them.
Their intentions may or may not be clear to themselves or others.
They may be rightfully or undeservedly charismatic (or at the other end of the spectrum: unconvincing) or anything in between.
Heck, there is a whole spectrum of possibilities on each of those planes.
Needless to say, everyday someone is conned, taken advantage of, mislead, misunderstood, underestimated, makes mistakes, is rightfully or unwittingly unconvinced, changes their minds, etc.
And, that’s before any damage control kicks in.
The power of rhetoric is in the fact that “how” something is presented often becomes more important than “what” is presented.
So, “what’s my point,” you may be wondering?
Well, instead of fighting these arguments in the realm of facts and science, I’m more and more convinced of the value that the arts can bring here.
While rhetoric is an art in itself, “the arts” is also a form of rhetoric. The Arts and Science are often referenced as complementary bedfellows.
I will be exploring how the arts may sometimes be a better response to rhetoric than even rhetoric itself. I wonder if you will agree.
So please stay tuned for more on “The Rhetoric of Art” here.
And, I’d love to hear if you have supporting or opposing views on the topic. If so, please feel free to drop a comment below. Please also be sure to subscribe for updates so that you not miss upcoming posts. Thanks for stopping by!
