Inventing the Potential of Rhetorical Culture: The Work and Legacy of Thomas B. Farrell

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Penn State Press, Jan 1, 2009 - Language Arts & Disciplines - 183 pages

A Philosophy and Rhetoric Special Issue.

Over the course of a distinguished and celebrated career, Thomas Farrell held that rhetoric is a rich source of creative reason and a vital element of contemporary public life. In his award-winning 1995 book, Norms of Rhetorical Culture, Farrell took this position a step further, arguing that &“Rhetoric is the primary&—indeed the only&—humane manner for an argumentative culture to sustain public institutions that reflect on themselves, that learn, so to speak, from their own history.&” In the midst of violence and social fragmentation, according to Farrell, the renewal of rhetoric&’s difficult art offers an opportunity to invigorate critique, cultivate the grounds for mutual understanding, and foster the practical wisdom that sustains democracy&’s politics.

Inventing the Potential of Rhetorical Culture sheds new light on Thomas Farrell&’s provocative defense of rhetoric and makes an innovative case for the contemporary importance of rhetorical theory and practice. Featuring two previously unpublished works by Thomas Farrell himself, including one that plots a path beyond Norms of Rhetorical Culture, the volume&’s original contributions offer timely reflections on the aesthetic, vernacular, and deliberative functions of rhetoric and draw significant connections among classical, modern, and postmodern accounts of public discourse. At a moment when many fields of study have found cause to reconsider the question of rhetoric&’s potential, this collection will engage those seeking a fuller understanding of rhetoric&’s role in politics, ethics, and public culture. With an introduction by Erik Doxtader, the volume includes essays by James Arnt Aune, Maurice Charland, G. Thomas Goodnight, Gerard A. Hauser, Carol Poster, and Philippe-Joseph Salazar.

 

Contents

For Today There Will Be a Speech and a Song Tomorrow
1
A Blast from the Past
13
Farrells Moods
27
Rhetoric on the Bleachers or The Rhetorician as Melancholiac
46
Whose Aristotle? Which Aristotelianism? A Historical Prolegomenon to Thomas Farrells Norms of Rhetorical Culture
65
Phronēsis Forms and Forums in Norms of Rhetorical Culture
92
Farrell and Habermas on the Critical Studies of Communication
111
The Moral Vernacular of Human Rights Discourse
130
Studies in Cultural Delirium
157
Published Works of Thomas B Farrell
178
Back Cover
185
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About the author (2009)

Erik Doxtader is Professor of Rhetoric in the Department of English Language and Literature at the University of South Carolina.

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