This introduction to the art of rhetoric argues that knowledge of rhetoric improves deliberation about particular issues and problems. By mastering rhetorical concepts and modes of argument, readers can address the sometimes turbulent circumstances in their own lives, times, and fields of study. But because rhetoric speaks to the demands of the moment, it must be practiced with an understanding of its historical context.


The author provides an intellectual frame for understanding the history and conceptual foundations of rhetoric and gives a strong sense of the ways classic rhetorical texts continue to influence us by providing contexts and resources for contemporary debates. The texts, which range from Aristotle's Rhetoric to Edward H. Levi's An Introduction to Legal Reasoning and Danielle S. Allen's Talking to Strangers serve simultaneously as models of persuasion and as thoughtful considerations of how rhetoric works. Earlier texts serve as contexts for later ones.