JEFF MASON - Philosophical Rhetoric. The Function of Indirection in Philosophical Writings

London England / New York, Routledge, 1989. 1st Paperback Edition, Binding: Soft Cover, Very Good. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall 0415030447 Paperback Paperback. Our understanding of philosophical writing depends as much on its unwritten context as its explicit arguments. In this investigation of the workings of philosophical rhetoric, the athor tackles an issue central to all philosophical argument - the relation between persuasion and truth. The goal of philosophical writing is to persuade an audience of the truth. As the author points out, truth is one thing, persuasion another. Yet the techniques of persuasion are indirect and not always fully transparent. Philosophical arguments are surrounded by the unspoken and unwritten assumptions and commonplaces which arise in particular social and historical settings. Whether philosophers and theorteicians are for or against the use of rhetoric, they engage in rhetorical practice none the less. Focusing in particular on Plato. Descartes, Kant, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and Wittgenstein, the author uncovers philosophical rhetoric at work and reminds us of the rhetorical arena in which philosophical writings are produced and considered. Interdisciplinary in its approach, this book will appeal to critical theorists as well as to philosophers. 170 pp.