A Mason's Work

We're likely going to revisit this probably a dozen times over the next year or so.

But I want to talk today briefly about rhetoric.

Rhetoric as a concept is for those of you that may not remember your degrees really well

or not done the research yet.

Rhetoric is the idea to or the ability to convey information in a way that stimulates productive

argument.

Productive argument is a difference of opinion between you people or a difference of understanding

between you people that aims to convince or persuade.

Now rhetoric itself isn't necessarily persuasive per se.

Sometimes the anticipated effect is to evoke or create an emotional response or prompt

a emotional state.

So when we talk about rhetoric and the context of perspectives through which we can view

the problems in our life, what you're really looking for is in the communication itself,

in the ways we're being communicated to and the ways we're communicating with the world,

what are you looking at in terms of the intended emotional, intellectual and conceptual response?

So when coupled with the other liberal arts like logic and grammar, you really get the

ability to sort of filter information in a meaningful way.

But for the context of just focusing on rhetoric as a concept, it's a performative function.

So even in writing, even in all of the kind of places that human beings communicate,

there is an element of understanding the structural flow of information, beyond simply the grammar.

So grammar we talked about syntax and how those pieces might fit together.

We're going to talk more about grammar as well.

But when we talk about rhetoric, we're really talking specifically about what is the best

way to stage concepts, outcomes or stage concepts to create the outcomes we're looking for.

So when we look at a specific situation in your life, there's always almost always a communications

function attached to that.

You're always being communicated to in some way or another.

Those rhetorical systems that are communicating with you are oftentimes subconscious.

Your own biases, for example, screening only the words that you relate to or don't relate to.

There is a sort of rhetorical analysis function that you go through when you're looking at the

doom scroll forever and ever, right?

So when you're sitting there scrolling through your phone, that's all rhetoric.

That is all people trying to evoke a certain type of response, a buying decision, a subtle

arrangement, a slow boil towards some level of action.

When we start to look at these things, you have to understand as well that you're responsible

for creating some of this.

So things like the algorithm which mirror your behavior or mirror your preferences are

only half responsible for the mirroring effect.

So as you're considering rhetoric, as you've kind of laying the symbols out on the table

and doing your work, think about those modalities, those design intents in the way you're communicating

or the way you're being communicated with, or the preconceived biases you have as you

perceive communications even from the natural world, things, for example, you may, there

are biases in the psychological space around things like if you buy a red car, for example,

you're going to be hyper aware of red cars in the future because you now have that bias.

There are simple things like for me, being getting personal for a second, I really hate

squirrels because they are just a nuisance.

And one of the things that I noticed the moment I go outside, particularly in my suburban

environment, is squirrels.

I see squirrels everywhere and they are annoying to me.

And because I look for them, I find them.

We can get more into that.

That's a three-knock problem.

But when you start to look at rhetoric as a concept, again, it really does transcend strictly

speaking, the spoken word, the written word, even body language, there is a lot more

going on with rhetoric and some of that is projected from your own consciousness.

So as you start working with this, begin to look a little bit more about the messages

you're receiving.

Rhetoric is really almost subtle or one-for-one swap for communication.

So with that, we'll see you next time.