WHAT IS RHETORIC?

Plato defined it as "the art of winning the soul by discourse." Aristotle defined it as "the faculty of discovering in any particular case all of the available means of persuasion." Andrea Lunsford defined it as "the art, practice, and study of human communication." According to Kenneth Burke, "Rhetoric is rooted in an essential function of language itself, a function that is wholly realistic and continually born anew: the use of language as a symbolic means of inducing cooperation in beings that by nature respond to symbols." In other words, rhetoric is essential to practical communication.

SO WHAT?

Well, on the outside rhetoric may not seem like much because oral and written discourse have become commonplace for our species. On the inside however, understanding the history of communication reveals the true nature and power of rhetoric. Not having rhetoric would be like having a patch over one eye. We could still see, but lack of perspective would constantly throw us off. We would be able to communicate without rhetoric but wouldn't be able to get much done. In fact, our species wouldn't be where it is today if not for rhetoric. Along with opening a portal to our past, rhetoric also raises questions about what the future holds for communication as we transition into the next epoch.

WHAT IS ELECTRACY?

If the first epoch is characterized by orality (made practical by oral discourse) and the second epoch is characterized by literacy (made practical by the invention of the alphabet and written discourse), then the third epoch can be characterized by electracy (in which digital imaging supports extensive complexes of mood atmospheres beyond organic capacity, much the same way that alphabetic writing supports long complex chains of reasoning possible to sustain within the organic mind). Electracy is to digital media what literacy is to print. In the words of Gregory Ulmer, "What literacy is to the analytical mind, electracy is to the affective body: a prosthesis that enhances and augments a natural or organic human potential."

SO WHAT'S NEXT?

Using the pedagogical method devised by Byron Hawk, I explore the relationship between the elements of rhetoric and electracy. The weekly entries above offer reactions to various texts assigned in class and are generally representative of the questions raised at each step of the learning process. The "supplement" sections (accessible from within each entry) are comprised of reactions to additional exercises (in the form of listserv postings) done in and out of class. In addition, I have provided "author's note" sections (also accessible from within each entry), a running journal of sorts, to log my reactions to class discussions and general thoughts outside of class. It's my hope to link electracy with a broader social transition, an emotional renaissance, characterized and influenced by recent (and not so recent) events in human history.

Christopher de la Torre ©2005