rhetoric vocab

Rhetoric

The art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing.

Rhetorician

A person skilled in rhetoric.

Sophists

Ancient Greek teachers who taught rhetoric and philosophy, often criticized for valuing persuasion over truth.

Sophistic

Related to sophists; often refers to arguments that sound convincing but are deceptive or fallacious.

Aristotle

Ancient Greek philosopher who systematized rhetoric, logic, and science; often called the “father of logic.”

Common topics

General lines of argument (like cause/effect, comparison, definition) used in classical rhetoric.

Logic

The study of correct reasoning and valid argument.

Logician

Someone who studies or applies logic.

Deductive logic

Reasoning from general principles to specific conclusions (certain if valid).

Inductive logic

Reasoning from specific examples to general principles (probable, not certain).

Syllogism

A deductive argument with two premises leading to a conclusion (e.g., All men are mortal; Socrates is a man; therefore Socrates is mortal).

Argument

A set of statements (premises) intended to support a conclusion.

Idol

A false image or misleading idea (used by Francis Bacon to describe sources of human error).

Prejudice

A preconceived opinion not based on reason or experience.

Bias

An unfair tendency to favor one side or viewpoint.

Paradigm

A framework or model for understanding the world.

Thesis statement

The main claim or argument of a piece of writing, usually stated clearly and directly.

Genus

A general category that groups related things.

Species

A more specific category within a genus.

Etymology

The study of the origin and historical development of words.

Description

A detailed account of something’s qualities or features.

Examples

Instances that illustrate a concept or claim.

Synonyms

Words with similar meanings.

Antonyms

Words with opposite meanings.

Fallacy

A flaw in reasoning that makes an argument invalid or weak.

Premise

A statement or assumption that provides support in an argument.

Conclusion

The claim reached by reasoning from premises.

Inductive leap

The move from specific observations to a general conclusion in inductive reasoning.

Vagueness

Lack of precision; a word or statement that’s unclear because it’s too broad.

Ambiguity

When a word or phrase has more than one possible meaning.

Equivocation

A fallacy that uses a single word in two different senses within the same argument.

Amphiboly

A fallacy caused by ambiguous grammar or sentence structure, leading to multiple interpretations.

Idol of the cave

upbringing idol

idol of the marketplace

deception in words

idol of theatre

blind accpetance

idols of the tribe

universal weakness