[lbo-talk] Re: On the Limits of Rhetoric

Brian Charles Dauth magcomm at ix.netcom.com
Sun Nov 28 11:38:28 PST 2004


Dear List:

Stannard writes:


> Probably the most important article on the ideological turn in rhetorical

criticism is Wander's "The Ideological Turn in Modern Criticism," Central States

Speech Journal 34 (Spring 1983): 1-18. Wander refutes both neo-Aristotelianism and postmodern criticism in that article. Most good rhetorical critics today think we have a responsibility to point out the lies of those in power, even if that forces us into a problematic (but very defensible) ontological dualism.

Could this be translated from academic jargon into English? What is a "problematic (but very defensible) ontological dualism"? Is it contagious? Are there any homeopathic cures?

Maybe the problem with the rhetoric of the left is that is understandable only by those who have been initiated into the Cult of TheorySpeak. This approach leaves everyday people out in the cold and susceptible to plain-spoken entreaties from the right.

Brian Dauth Queer Buddhist Resister



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