Have always been premodern

1. Course Structure and Historical Eras of Rhetoric

The course modules are introduced by videos with themes like "we have always been pre-modern," "we have always been modern," and "we have always been postmodern." These themes correspond to distinct historical eras, which categorize human experience based on how people understand the world following traumatic shifts.

2. The Three Historical Eras

Historians divide human experience into three main eras:

  1. Pre-Modern Era

  2. Modern Era

  3. Postmodern Era

The fundamental change between these eras is how humans grasp and make sense of their world.

3. The Pre-Modern Era

  • Time Period: Spans from the beginning of recorded history up to the Renaissance in the West (roughly 14th to 15th centuries). The focus in this class is largely on Western rhetoric during this period.

  • Characteristics: Often described as a "faith-based era" where certainty was predominantly derived from religious faith. During this time, scientific, mathematical, and philosophical certainties were largely absent.

  • Influence on Rhetoric: While religion itself isn't the primary focus, its influence on how people approached rhetoric is significant. Figures like Plato, whose religious faith shaped his understanding of philosophy and rhetoric, and St. Augustine, who represented Christianity's engagement with rhetoric, are examples.

  • Function of Rhetoric: In a world of high uncertainty, rhetoric, as presented by figures like the Sophists, began to offer alternative ways to understand the world. It aimed not to create certainty, which it cannot