Rationality and rhetoric in philosophy
- 1 December 1973
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis in Quarterly Journal of Speech
- Vol. 59 (4) , 381-389
- https://doi.org/10.1080/00335637309383188
Abstract
If philosophy is a rational enterprise, it is natural to see that rationality as a function of the arguments used by philosophers. Yet there have been few philosophical arguments, if any, the validity of which have not been challenged. This essay claims that the rationality of the philosophical enterprise resides precisely in the activity of exposing arguments as invalid. Such exposure is rhetorical since the attitude of the critic, the style of his message, and the nature of his audience are all involved.Keywords
This publication has 2 references indexed in Scilit:
- Self-Refutation--A Formal AnalysisThe Philosophical Quarterly, 1964
- Self-Refutation and ValidityMonist, 1964