Rhetoric: The Art of Persuasion, but Not at Any Price?
The Year 8 Scholars, led by Academic Deputy Ms Nutbeem, investigated the history of rhetoric and its relevance in the modern world. After exploring its origins in the classical world—and how Plato, one of its earliest critics, eventually became a convert—the students reflected on its significance today.
The power of persuasion is familiar to us in many contexts, from advertising to politics, yet the methods used are often neither examined nor fully understood. In an age sometimes described as the “Post-Truth” era, the ability to critically assess the claims made about a situation is more important than ever. As Ms Nutbeem pointed out, rhetorical skills can be used to challenge inequality, but they may also be deployed to promote division.
The idea of truth is something the scholars will revisit many times in the coming years, and this investigation provided them with an excellent starting point.
