Modern Influences on the Concept of Enthymeme


Kristen Seas ENGL 624/Sullivan Fall 2005 Purdue University	Project Description: My objective here is to understand the theoretical positioning of the enthymeme within logic, and its apparent neglect in rhetoric, during the modern era. The larger plan for this project is to trace the theoretical development of the enthymeme from Aristotle into the postmodern period in order to understand the ambiguity behind the concept and its operation in rhetoric. Once I've gained a better grasp on the concept, or at least come to recognize its complexity as it has eluded previous rhetoricians, I hope to articulate the enthymeme's role in ideological discourses that shape the construction of subjectivity. But that hypothesis is far from full development, and must be set aside for now. While I have previously attempted to tie contemporary treatments of the enthymeme with Aristotle's original definition, I felt it necessary to trace its placement within modern rhetoric. I found such an ambition thwarted by the difficulty of obtaining rhetorical treatises that explicitly dealt with the enthymeme. Instead, the enthymeme arose most often in works on logic. Therefore, I decided to map the key modern rhetorical and philosophical conclusions made about discourse and its relation to reason that may have contributed to the apparent relegation of enthymeme to the realm of formal logic, as illustrated in a few example texts from the 19th century. In doing this, I also sought to position the key figures of modern rhetorical history in relation to the enthymeme, even if their connection to the concept could only be made indirectly through their articulations of language and thought. Yet this project is far from conclusive in its execution. There are areas that still need further examination. I refer to one area specifically - the content definition of enthymeme, which has been largely overlooked in preference for the formal definition. But such a project would require more time and greater access to the original works of modern rhetoricians and logicians to be truly comprehensive. Thus I offer here only a partial mapping of the modern influences on the concept of enthymeme and my own speculations as to how those influences led to its placement within logic rather than its further theoretical development within rhetoric.
Table of Contents: Project Description 19th c. Logical Definitions of Enthymeme Main Contentions of Project: Thought v. Language Logic v. Rhetoric Argument and Reason Syllogistic Reasoning Enthymeme as Abridged Argument Lost Translation - Missing Definition of Enthymeme Works Cited

Kristen Seas
ENGL 624/Sullivan
Fall 2005
Purdue University

Project Description:

My objective here is to understand the theoretical positioning of the enthymeme within logic, and its apparent neglect in rhetoric, during the modern era.

The larger plan for this project is to trace the theoretical development of the enthymeme from Aristotle into the postmodern period in order to understand the ambiguity behind the concept and its operation in rhetoric. Once I've gained a better grasp on the concept, or at least come to recognize its complexity as it has eluded previous rhetoricians, I hope to articulate the enthymeme's role in ideological discourses that shape the construction of subjectivity. But that hypothesis is far from full development, and must be set aside for now.

While I have previously attempted to tie contemporary treatments of the enthymeme with Aristotle's original definition, I felt it necessary to trace its placement within modern rhetoric. I found such an ambition thwarted by the difficulty of obtaining rhetorical treatises that explicitly dealt with the enthymeme. Instead, the enthymeme arose most often in works on logic.

Therefore, I decided to map the key modern rhetorical and philosophical conclusions made about discourse and its relation to reason that may have contributed to the apparent relegation of enthymeme to the realm of formal logic, as illustrated in a few example texts from the 19th century. In doing this, I also sought to position the key figures of modern rhetorical history in relation to the enthymeme, even if their connection to the concept could only be made indirectly through their articulations of language and thought.

Yet this project is far from conclusive in its execution. There are areas that still need further examination. I refer to one area specifically - the content definition of enthymeme, which has been largely overlooked in preference for the formal definition. But such a project would require more time and greater access to the original works of modern rhetoricians and logicians to be truly comprehensive. Thus I offer here only a partial mapping of the modern influences on the concept of enthymeme and my own speculations as to how those influences led to its placement within logic rather than its further theoretical development within rhetoric.

Project Description:

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