SENSE, EXPRESSION, AND PURPOSE: ALEXANDER CAMPBELL'S NATURAL PHILOSOPHY OF RHETORIC

• Other Authors: BERRYHILL, CARISSE MICKEY.
• Format: Others
• Subjects: Speech Communication
• Online Access: http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/lib/digcoll/etd/3085374

This study explores the influence of the rhetoric of George Campbell (1719-1796) of Aberdeen on Alexander Campbell (1788-1866), American religious reformer, in order to clarify the relation of A. Campbell's rhetorical theory to that current in his own day. === G. Campbell was selected for this study because of his prominence in developing modern rhetoric and because of A. Campbell's familiarity with his works. In order to describe rhetoric according to the principles of inductive science, G. Campbell structured a rhetoric of sense, expression, and purpose around the human being as the natural model for discourse theory. Just as a person consists of a mind and body acting purposefully, discourse consists of sense and expression, cooperating toward one of four ends: to enlighten, to delight, to move, or to persuade. Any one of these ends will include as subordinate and necessary all previous ends. === In the category of sense, A. Campbell adopted every major feature of G. Campbell's analysis of natural logic, including an epistemologically oriented theory of words as signs and an emphasis on factual evidence and testimony. He shared G. Campbell's ideas on audience analysis and on the speaker's sympathetic image. === In matters of expression, A. Campbell derived his treatment of style from G. Campbell, including the doctrine of usage, the use of testimony to determine ancient usage, the psychological analysis of tropes, and the importance of perspicuity. Like G. Campbell, he applied these to Biblical translation and interpretation. === A. Campbell shaped G. Campbell's hierarchy of homiletical purposes into a coherent evangelistic strategy which involved stating and adducing the proofs for the Gospel narrative of facts, exhorting the listener to obedience, and teaching him after conversion. === G. Campbell's system of rhetoric unified A. Campbell's intellectual efforts in preaching, apologetics, translation, and education. Such unity demonstrates the profound power of the natural philosophy of rhetoric which G. Campbell pioneered. === Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 43-07, Section: A, page: 2153. === Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.