A rhetorical-strategy is a deliberately constructed technique or pattern of discourse deployed to achieve a specific persuasive effect on an audience. Its parameters are: (1) intentionality — the technique is deployed by design, not by accident; (2) audience-directedness — it targets a receiver's beliefs, emotions, or actions; (3) teachability — it can be named, described, and transmitted as a repeatable method. Its persistence mechanism is the pedagogical tradition of rhetoric, preserved in rhetorical manuals, composition textbooks, and sustained instructional practice across cultures and epochs. [formal: ratio persuadendi | substrate: behavior | horizon: hours | explicit: yes | epoch: 0.01]
Accepted ontology entry
rhetorical-strategy
A rhetorical-strategy is a deliberately constructed technique or pattern of discourse deployed to achieve a specific persuasive effect on an audience. Its parameters are: (1) intentionality — the technique is deployed by design, not by acc…
Definition
Why it is in scope
A rhetorical-strategy is a human-made concept: a deliberately constructed, teachable technique or pattern of discourse designed to produce a specific persuasive effect on an audience. It persists through the pedagogical tradition of rhetoric — preserved in manuals, textbooks, and sustained instructional practice across cultures and epochs.
Names and aliases
- rhetorical-strategyen · CANONICAL
Relations from this entry
- cmrmuk5tl01n1d1nllgxavhaeSERVES →
A rhetorical-strategy is built and maintained for the sake of persuasion — its designed purpose is to produce a specific persuasive effect on an audience. Law 8d: for-whose-sake? The strategy serves persuasion. Remove persuasion from the picture and the strategy loses its entire reason for being.
Relations to this entry
- cmrn2uuy401vsd1nlw30m0x2a← INSTANCE_OF
Enthymeme IS a specific kind of rhetorical strategy — an argument with a missing premise designed to persuade the audience to supply it. The competent-speaker test passes: an enthymeme is a kind of rhetorical strategy. Rhetorical-strategy is the nearest kind (argument-form does not exist).
- cmrmrom5b01jcd1nlpv5m14ks← INSTANCE_OF
Topos IS a specific kind of rhetorical strategy — a common-place or reusable argument pattern that can be applied across contexts. The competent-speaker test passes: a topos is a kind of rhetorical strategy. Rhetorical-strategy is the nearest kind.
Record identity
- Created
- Jul 30, 2026, 10:46 AM UTC
- Content hash
- 3aa883cb29a90a1d3a22be37f502c8b83f9900fe00c759e1edf9a8b7b4922027