Aristotle’s Model of Rhetoric and Contemporary Patterns of Argumentation: On Some Aristotelian Challenges

The chapter focuses on the interdependence of the concepts of dialogue, law and truth in Aristotle’s model of rhetoric. Taking some aspects of the new rhetoric and of the argumentation theory of Perelman, Alexy and Habermas as a starting point, it will be clarified that the Aristotelian and ancient idea of rhetoric involved a completely different pattern of reasoning. Our analysis will focus on Aristotle’s paradigm, in particular the aspects of dialogue, truth and justice, which highlight the complexity of his model and show how his approach differs from the new model of argumentation theory. The revival of aspects of the Aristotelian approach within the contemporary philosophical-legal debate demonstrates the enduring relevance of Aristotle’s theoretical framework and invites its use to analyze patterns of reasoning in the public debate on issues as equity and climate change.