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A paper which looks at the essential elements of structuring a position argument, with reference to the functions of rhetoric as described by Plato and Aristotle. Bibliography lists 5 sources
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5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: JL5_JLargpos.rtf
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at classical rhetoric and at modern forms of argument: as Banks (2005) notes, modern arguments rely heavily on proving the irrefutability of facts whereas classical rhetoric was more concerned with
convincing the audience that the rhetor was correct. Banks also makes the point that modern arguments are regarded as having greater validity if they can draw on quantitative data, such
as numerical studies. Aristotle asserted that the purpose of persuasive speech was to give rise to decisions: once a decision was made, there would be no
point discussing the matter further. Arguing a position, therefore, is not done merely for its own sake but to steer the audience towards a particular decision - we can see
clearly here the connection between argument and policy-making. As Ulman (2005) states, Plato held that rhetoric was in itself a neutral "tool", which could
be equally wielded by the ethical and unethical in order to persuade. However, he also noted that without facility in rhetoric, the possession of facts was of little use. In
Phaedrus, Dame Rhetoric states "without me even the man who is thoroughly familiar with the facts will be not a bit nearer to the art of persuasion" (Plato, cited
Ulman, 2005, PG). In order to construct a successful argument for a particular position, therefore, one has to first amass the facts and then look
for ways of presenting them persuasively. It should also be noted that persuasion is not the same as dogmatism - one should be able to acknowledge opposing viewpoints and argue
rationally against them. Generally, arguing a position will require taking a controversial topic as the starting point. On the whole, there is little point presenting a persuasive argument when the
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