Rhetoric

 

 

Francis Bacon illustrated rhetoric's function as "applying 'reason to imagination for the better moving of the will." (Smith) Bacon believed that eloquence was essential to thriving in society. He looked closely at how language worked and how it helped us reveal what we knew. For Bacon, rhetoric was a tool used to recall and explain what has already been discovered. Based on his epistemology, Bacon believed in reason and observation; consequently he did not believe in innate knowledge. So what does this mean for his views of rhetoric? Being an empiricist, Bacon focused on reason and observation, therefore he believed rhetoric did not bring us new knowledge, but rather allowed us to reason with our own imaginations in order to explain what has already been discovered. Bacon's explanation of rhetoric's function is not to discover, but to expand.

 

So...

 

Bacon believed in eloquence, therefore he saw rhetoric more for its style and delivery as well as credibility, or ethos. He believed that applying reason to imagination moves the will. Essentially, communication moves us forward as thinkers.