Essays on Rhetoric

By Dr Neel Burton — Psychiatrist, philosopher, and wine writer; Fellow of Green Templeton College, University of Oxford; author of over twenty books.

Thinking, however brilliant it may be, is of little use unless it can be communicated to others in such a way that they will be carried by it. Compared to reason, rhetoric may seem cheap and manipulative. But it is indispensable if we are to achieve worthwhile aims in the world.

Born in the law courts and assemblies of ancient Greece, rhetoric was developed by the Sophists, challenged by Socrates and Plato, systematised by Aristotle, and brought to dazzling heights by Cicero.

This page brings together my essays on the power of words.

The Birth of Rhetoric

How the Ancient Greeks Invented the Art of Persuasion — Exploring the Origins of Rhetoric in Ancient Greece

The Sophists: Philosophy’s First Crisis — How the Sophists Forced Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle to Rethink Truth

The Sophist Gorgias and the Magic of Words — If You Love Words, Read On.

Aspasia: The Woman Who Slapped Socrates — If Aspasia taught Socrates, Western philosophy begins with a woman.

A Life in Ideas: Cicero — Did Rome’s Greatest Orator Live Up to His Own Ideals?

The Art of Rhetoric

How to Structure a Speech or Essay, The Classical Way — Learn the Six Classical Parts of Discourse Used by Cicero

Memorise a Speech with This Simple Ancient Technique — The Method of Loci, or ‘Mind Palace’—and the Gruesome Story Behind It

Why Metaphor Is a Sign of Genius — What the Logicians Have Missed

Why Three of Anything Is More Persuasive — I Came, I Saw, I Conquered

How to Deal with Insults — What Is the Strongest Response to an Insult?

Speech, Language & Thought

How the Language You Speak Influences the Way You Think — Does Language Merely Express Our Thoughts—or Does It Help to Create Them?

Beyond Words: The Benefits of Being Bilingual — To Have Another Language Is to Have Another Self

How to Say Something Without Saying It — How We Can Mean Much More Than We Say

The Most Beautiful Thing in the World — Diogenes, Free Speech, and the Freedom to Become

Rhetoric and Truth

What Is Truth? — Why Truth Matters More than Ever

Why Do Clever People Fall for Bad Arguments? — How Logical Fallacies Exploit Human Nature

The Problem with Critical Thinking — Why Are People No Wiser Than Before?

The Ancient Technique That Changes Minds — The Socratic Method: Why Socrates Is Remembered for His Method, Not His Answers

The Limits of Teaching — Can the Highest Forms of Human Excellence Be Taught?

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Explore more subjects in the Index Scriptorum.

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