The Art of Rhetoric, by Aristotle, is an encyclopedia for the deliverer of various kinds of oratory. The translator explains that this was interesting because Plato, Aristotle's teacher, was very much against the idea of teaching rhetoric, or rhetoric as a subject worthy of study. The translator then explains that to combat this prejudice of his peers, and probably his own prejudice, Aristotle makes the discussion much more 'philosophical' then previous writers and probably more so than necessary.#

Due to its encyclopedic format, it is hard to sum up the important lessons of Rhetoric, but I will highlight some things I found interesting in the particular entries.#

His definition is of rhetoric:#

It is, then, established that rhetoric is not concerned with any single delimited kind of subject but is like dialectic and that it is a useful art. It is also clear that its function is not persuasion. It is rather the detection of the persuasive aspects of each matter and this is in line with all other skills. (It is not the function of medicine to produce health but to bring the patient to the degree of well-being that is possible; for those that cannot attain to health can nevertheless be well looked after.) It is further clear that it is for the same art to detect what is persuasive and what is apparently persuasive, just as it belongs to dialectic to perceive both the real and the apparent syllogism, since sophistry resides not in the capacity but the choice of its use. The difference, however, is that in rhetoric there will be the orator by understanding and the orator by choice, whereas a man may be a sophist by choice but he will be a dialectician not by preference but by capacity. [p 69-70; 1355b]

At one point Aristotle gives a curious definition of democracy: "Democracy is that constitution in which offices are assigned by lot." (p. 102; 1365b)#

Talking about to whom crimes are committed, Aristotle writes this nugget: "[Both] enemies and friends; the latter are wronged more easily, the former more agreeably." (p. 123; 1373a)#