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Single Idea 1596

[filed under theme 19. Language / F. Communication / 1. Rhetoric ]

Full Idea

Logos originates not in a cognitive capacity for the apprehension of objects, but in the desire to give birth to beautiful speeches.

Gist of Idea

Reasoning aims not at the understanding of objects, but at the desire to give beautiful speeches

Source

David Roochnik (The Tragedy of Reason [1990], p.124)

Book Ref

Roochnik,David: 'The Tragedy of Reason: the Platonic logos' [Routledge 1990], p.124

A Reaction

It is hard for us to grasp this, but it might be quite life-enhancing if we could return to that old way of thought.

The 16 ideas from David Roochnik

1571 'Logos' ranges from thought/reasoning, to words, to rational structures outside thought [Roochnik]
1572 In the seventeenth century the only acceptable form of logos was technical knowledge [Roochnik]
1573 The hallmark of a person with logos is that they give reasons why one opinion is superior to another [Roochnik]
1591 Unfortunately for reason, argument can't be used to establish the value of argument [Roochnik]
1592 Logos cannot refute the relativist, and so must admit that it too is a matter of desire (for truth and agreement) [Roochnik]
1593 Human desire has an ordered structure, with logos at the pinnacle [Roochnik]
1595 Philosophy aims to satisfy the chief human desire - the articulation of beauty itself [Roochnik]
1596 Reasoning aims not at the understanding of objects, but at the desire to give beautiful speeches [Roochnik]
1598 We prefer reason or poetry according to whether basics are intelligible or not [Roochnik]
1599 Attempts to suspend all presuppositions are hopeless, because a common ground must be agreed for the process [Roochnik]
1603 Logos is not unconditionally good, but good if there is another person willing to engage with it [Roochnik]
1605 Reality can be viewed neutrally, or as an object of desire [Roochnik]
1606 You have to be a Platonist to debate about reality, so every philosopher is a Platonist [Roochnik]
1577 Relativism is a disease which destroys the possibility of rational debate [Roochnik]
1578 If relativism is the correct account of human values, then rhetoric is more important than reasoning [Roochnik]
1584 Modern science, by aiming for clarity about the external world, has abandoned rationality in the human world [Roochnik]