Then the case is the same in all the other arts for the orator and his rhetoric; there is no need to know the truth of the actual matters, but one merely needs to have discovered some device of persuasion which will make one appear to those who do not know to know better than those who know.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Rhetoric often prioritizes persuasion over truth, allowing speakers to seem knowledgeable even when they are not.
- In plain terms
- Persuasion can make someone look smarter than experts without requiring actual knowledge.
- What can you take from it?
- Beware of speakers who charm without substance.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do you distinguish knowledge from appearance?
- When is persuasion ethical?
Another view
Not all persuasion is dishonest; some uses rhetoric to clarify truth.
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