Reflective Blog Post 1

In response to reading the works of the theorists so far, I would say that my views are most aligned with Gorgias. While some of my personal views regarding religion and ethical choices contradict what is said, rhetoric here is the most relevant to modern day linguistics. This is exemplified, as discussed in the text, that language can be persuasive and have manipulative effects. We see this effect of language everyday through advertising and marketing, government affairs, social media, news publications, and a variety of other sources which lead us to believe certain things. The statement “language can be crafted to suit particular purposes” rings true in that for each rhetorical situation, we adjust what we say and how we say which is in line with the meaning of Kairos. (Gorgias, 48)

Another point that is made is in regard to how we acquire knowledge. In Plato and Aristotle’s view, they believe that truth was transcendent and imposed by the Divine. To quote, “we can recognize truth because we somehow ‘knew’ it before our birth…” (Plato, page 81) Gorgias, in opposition, would go on to explain provisional knowledge, or knowledge that can change over time as new information is presented. (Gorgias, page 42) The theory of provisional knowledge juxtaposed to knowledge we are simply born with is more congruent to modern times.

            While both theories have their limitations, I feel as though Gorgais is more accurate when explaining rhetoric in a modern context. We see how often our understanding of topics can change and how language is often used to sway us to a certain belief. The theories of Plato and Aristotle are more limiting to me, seeming as though we are only to believe one point of view for the duration of our existence. The quote, “language creates and changes the opinions that are our only available knowledge” (Gorgias, page 49) is what best encompasses rhetoric in my opinion as it is through language we are able to continually evolve our ideas surrounding a subject and constantly be learning from each other.