Rhetoric.

[Hitsumei]

I was wondering whom everyone's favorite (living) rhetorician was. This may surprise you, but mine is easily Christopher Hitchens. I find his public debates, and lectures just thrilling. It is difficult not to appreciate what a brilliant rhetorician he is.

Clearly, I use a completely different style of rhetoric than he does, and disagree with him quite ardently on several points, but I'm never unimpressed with how he presents them.

So, whom is your favorite rhetorician?

[SallyMutant]

Robert Ingersoll. Amazing --he was an acceptable, popular public figure.
Hardcase [headcase] religion seems to have gained great influence in the 1910's-20's and again in in the 1950's, and of course from the 1980's on.  Can't imagine those 1980's politicians being friendly with someone as outspoken as Robert Ingersoll, yet he was buds with the Rebublicans of his time.
Good on some Victorians/Edwardians.

[SteveS]

Haha, okay Hitsumei, so you know how in the other thread you said you don't get the sports references I made?  It's sort of like this is my version of that --- I have no favorite "rhetorician".

Sing it with me now, "different strokes for different folks and so on and so on and scooby dooby doo-bee"



Side note: a co-worker did leave a newspaper piece written by Christopher Hitchens on my desk, and this is so far the only thing of his I've ever read.  It was good, though.

Side side note: a few days earlier, someone left one of those Jehovah's Witnesses Watchtower magazines on my desk.  The cover said "Should you fear Hell?".  Haha, funny funny.  I guess I've flapped my lips on the atheism topic too freely at work.  At least the guy who left the Hitchens article there fessed up to it ---- no one will claim responsibility for the Watchtower thing....

[SSY]

If I was more skeptical than I am, I would have to say your attempts to portray Hitchens as master of rhetoric was a thinly vieled attempt to rob what he says of any objective truth and instead portray it as entertaining, though lacking in substance.

Like I said though, I am not that skeptical.

[Hitsumei]

If I was more skeptical than I am, I would have to say your attempts to portray Hitchens as master of rhetoric was a thinly vieled attempt to rob what he says of any objective truth and instead portray it as entertaining, though lacking in substance.

Like I said though, I am not that skeptical.

And if I were a little more cynical, I'd wounder if since you never bothered to say anything else, that your post was for the sole, and rather transparent purpose of insinuation.

But, I'm not that cynical.  

[Will]

I can't believe you have time to start a thread!

I always really enjoyed that satirist, George W. Bush. He was able to create brilliant word salad in a way that I doubt even the greatest rhetoricians could. The only mistake he made was going full retard. You never go full retard.

[Hitsumei]

I can't believe you have time to start a thread!

It went unnoticed for awhile. I also have a lot of free time on my hands for the next few days. Homemaking isn't the most demanding of jobs.

I always really enjoyed that satirist, George W. Bush. He was able to create brilliant word salad in a way that I doubt even the greatest rhetoricians could. The only mistake he made was going full retard. You never go full retard.

This cracked me up. Personally I can't decide which I find more persuasive: his word salads, or his confident squints.

[SSY]

If I was more skeptical than I am, I would have to say your attempts to portray Hitchens as master of rhetoric was a thinly vieled attempt to rob what he says of any objective truth and instead portray it as entertaining, though lacking in substance.

Like I said though, I am not that skeptical.

And if I were a little more cynical, I'd wounder if since you never bothered to say anything else, that your post was for the sole, and rather transparent purpose of insinuation.

But, I'm not that cynical.  

You should be more cynical.

[curiosityandthecat]

You should be more cynical.

Everyone should be more cynical, they just confuse cynicism with disaffection or pessimism.

[Hitsumei]

You should be more cynical.

Damn, can't counter with mimicry any longer, as increased scepticism doesn't tend to lead one to making baseless insinuations about others' motives.  

[Hitsumei]

You should be more cynical.

Everyone should be more cynical, they just confuse cynicism with disaffection or pessimism.

There is such a thing as too much anything. Too much scepticism leads one to absurdities like univeral, unawarranted doubt resulting in positions like solipsism. Too much cynicism leads one to unsupported, and paranoid nay-saying, or misanthropism.