Rhetoric

Written by Aristotle

Narrated by Deaver Brown

Perhaps the most important book in philosophy after the Allegory of the Cave. Incomparable logic and findings about the things that matter in life with a clear succinct prose touch.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simply Magazine Inc.
• Release date: Apr 25, 2024
• ISBN: 9781614968191

Aristotle

Aristotle (384–322 BCE) was a Greek philosopher whose works spanned multiple disciplines including math, science and the arts. He spent his formative years in Athens, where he studied under Plato at his famed academy. Once an established scholar, he wrote more than 200 works detailing his views on physics, biology, logic, ethics and more. Due to his undeniable influence, particularly on Western thought, Aristotle, along with Plato and Socrates, is considered one of the great Greek philosophers.

Reviews for Rhetoric

[rajivc_18 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is an excellent book, but not an easy one to read. The translation is excellent, but the lessons are deep. When I started the book, I was not sure how the early sections pertained to rhetoric. But you must hang in there. As you read, everything starts to come together. If you are not skilled in rhetoric, like me, then this book is invaluable. Read it, study it, and then apply it. It is easy to see why the book has been influential through the ages. This is a testament to Aristotle's wisdom and knowledge.

[danielstj · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An interesting take on rhetoric from the master logician himself. Aristotle's points are complex and multi-layered, and the text is somewhat antiquated, but this is still a landmark document in the history of non-fiction, philosophy, and rhetoric itself.

I recommend it.

[madepercy-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Some of this book reads like a manual for living with what seem to be the simplest instructions imaginable. Wake up, lift the cover, put your feet on the floor, stand up, go to the bathroom, etc. Yet when one thinks about this being some of the earliest writings in recorded history, this instruction manual in how to be persuasive in speech and in writing states exactly what we teach our university students today. And therein lies the simplicity that belies its brilliance. This is my first cover-to-cover reading of Rhetoric. There are many references to Topics, Poetics, and Politics, and other works on rhetoric by other authors, but the reading of this work has inspired me to embark on a proper reading of the Great Books series, as set out by Hutchins and Adler at the University of Chicago, and I have begun at the beginning with Homer's Iliad. I recall a commentary on Darwin - George Bernard Shaw I think it was - that ran something like "once Darwin had proved, through systematic use of the evidence, that natural selection was a very real phenomenon, he did it over again with even more examples to the point of tedium". But Aristotle was the original. Simply reading this points me to the problem with all of my rejected papers - they are not systematic. I recall the guidance of my old professor: "When it is so simple it sounds too easy, then it is good". I also recall Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's "[etc]...has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away". Aristotle points to this and, much like Darwin, points to it again and again so as to remove all doubt. While reading Aristotle is much like my reading of J.S. Mill and Trotsky, as in it feels like I am reading my own knowledge in a book. Not because I am so knowledgeable, but because these authors permeated my education. Now, at least, I can see clearly where that education came from, and I am, strange as it may seem, excited about reading the Great Books I am yet to read.

[gracez-1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

What is this guy trying to say? He seems to have confused even himself, because he's a little contradictory. Okay, okay, so technically I didn't finish this book. I just put it down.

[samtekoa · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book is a review of the types and ways of speaking. It is somewhat of a difficult read in that it does not flow well. This may be the difficulty in translating something from the Greek that was used originally used by Aristotle as his class notes. There are worthwhile nuggets of insight and instruction. Maybe a modern day scholar has taken this work and improved upon it. If anyone knows of such a book please let me know.