ERIC Number: ED162309
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1978
Pages: 13
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Exploring the Common Ground of Rhetoric and Logic.
Lamb, Catherine E.
In teaching the principles of rational discourse in advanced expository writing, it is necessary to clarify the similarities and differences between the logic and rhetoric of Aristotle and to identify a common ground between the two. The study of logic within rhetoric focuses on the inductive standards used to support two kinds of argument: the general to particular, and the particular to general. These forms are defined by contrasting them with their counterparts in formal reasoning using the criteria of the strength of the relationship between premises and conclusion, and completeness. Rather than involving deductive logic and the rules for syllogisms and inference, rhetoric is concerned with defining these inductive standards through testing the truth of factual statements by considering a generalization according to the size, representation, and precision of the sample; testing the truth of evaluative statements by considering such criteria as correspondence, amount of relevant knowledge, and economy; and testing the link of evidence between the premises and conclusion-the inductive probability of the argument. With the focus on these inductive standards, the teaching of written discourse can concentrate on clear, precise language and the avoidance of fallacies. (MAI)
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Note: Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Conference on College Composition and Communication (29th, Denver, Colorado, March 30-April 1, 1978)