What’s The Difference Between Rhetoric And Sophistry? - Ch.1 - “The Office of Assertion” by Scott Crider

Stephen Alexander Beach 

(871 Words) 

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Rhetoric Versus Sophistry

Crider begins chapter one by pointing out that today “rhetoric” has a bad connotation in people’s minds. People think of rhetoric as a way of obfuscating the truth of things with words. Yet, Crider points out, that traditionally the greatest writers of the Western tradition have been trained in the art. It does not have to be a negative “art”. 1 In fact until of late it has always been considered a part of a liberal education in the West. Crider says that his two goals for the book are (1) to teach the reader how to write and produce a rhetorical product, the essay, and (2) to convince the reader that studying rhetoric in general is a worthwhile pursuit. 2 Yes, he admits that there is the misuse of rhetoric, i.e. sophistry, but that doesn’t preclude its proper use, just like with any tool, it’s how you use it. 3 “Aristotle believes that rhetoric and sophistry are distinct: rhetoric is persuasion aimed at truth; sophistry is persuasion aimed only at the appearance of truth.” 

And so for the person trained in rhetoric, they will be able to distinguish sophistry in others … and in themselves, all the more. 4 The skill of rhetoric is to be able to persuade people in a given discipline of speaking or writing. And so it uses rules, but these rules are not hard bound. Rather, the skilled rhetorician assess his situation and applies the principle of rhetoric to the circumstances. The example Crider uses is that today we are all familiar with the method of the persuasion that is the “five paragraph essay.” 5 “There are rhetorical principles which usually operate in most situation; there are even formulae which make composition much easier. … But rhetoric is not essentially those formulae; essentially, it is the faculty of discovering them. The Greek for ‘faculty’ is dunamis, ‘power or capaity’; dunamis is the root of the English word ‘dynamism.’ Rhetoric is the power or capacity of the mind to discover…” 6

Logos, Pathos, and Ethos

Rhetoric, properly used, is the power to persuade an audience to the truth that one is saying. Crider points to three traditional means of persuasion, “…logos, pathos, and ethos - the logical, emotional, and ethical appeals.” In an academic setting, logos must take the central stage because if an argument does not have truth, then we have fallen back into sophistry. 7 

Genre, Subject, Audience, and Purpose 

Four fundamental variables that will affect how we apply rhetoric in a particular situation are: “genre, subject, audience, and purpose.” First, obviously, the genre, or type of communication we are engaging in is going to be a key part of persuasion. If we write an academic paper like an email, that is not going to get very far. Secondly, different subjects are going to call for different styles on investigation, whether that’s experimental data that’s explained or a philosophical argument. 8 Third, the audience that one is addressing is going to alter the way one communicates. In fact, Crider mentions how in academia, different disciplines have very specific criteria for how research should be presented to them. Fourth, the purpose must be considered as persuasion in pursuit of truth, to create an enjoyment of the truth presented. This is different from getting a good grade on something! 9 

Invention, Organization, and Style

Crider then addresses the three parts of rhetoric: “invention, organization, and style”. Invention refers to arguments that one comes up with to prove their main point. This content then must be arranged in a way which suits the reader being led to the correct conclusion in an understandable way. Finally, the words and literary style employed also play a role in the journey. For verbal rhetoric traditionally two more parts are included, that of memory and delivery. 10 

Shaping the World of Men

Crider then quotes the academic, Richard Weaver, from whom he gets the title of the book, “The Office of Assertion”, as Weaver talks about the man who can craft ideas and arguments is traditionally a man to be feared because it is a man of power who can shape the social and cultural world. 11 “Each time one asks another person to read one’s work, one is in the Socratic position of leading that reader through the small world of the essay, a reading experience that gives shape somehow to the world itself.” Crider is pointing out that the one who can speak and write well is a leader of men since it is ideas that end up driving all things in the human world. 12 

If the rhetor cares for truth, then rhetoric becomes a noble art and pursuit in itself, as it is very akin to the search for truth itself. It represents a disposition for the truth. 13 

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1 - Crider, Scott. The Office of Assertion: An Art of Rhetoric for the Academic Essay. Washington, D.C.: Regnery Gateway, 2005. Pg. 1

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