The hottest Rhetoric Substack posts right now

Negative partisanship is when some voters base their political opinions on who they dislike, not who they like.
Traditional partisanship involves some dislike for the opposing team, but is more about central democratic tenets and country values.
Negative partisanship is believed to be a factor in political polarization and increased tribal rhetoric in many countries.

Peter Thiel thinks that the old ways of thinking about politics are not coming back. He believes many Enlightenment ideas are now misleading or wrong.
The connection between new technologies and control is becoming clearer with AI. The Paper Belt uses dramatic language to justify its control over society, even if that control isn't backed by evidence.
As AI technology develops, there are narratives being created to control it. These stories aim to give power to certain authorities over all software, labeling it in a negative way.

Neural networks may perform well but that doesn't mean they truly understand the content.
Neural networks don't store text but can still reconstruct information they have been trained on.
Human errors and neural network errors, like hallucinations, are not the same and neural networks can't be said to have deep understanding.

Cicero was killed on December 7, 43 BC by soldiers acting for the Second Triumvirate, a violent outcome of the post‑Caesar power struggles.
The phrase "adolescentem laudandum, ornandum, tollendum" is rhetorically powerful and ambiguous; its gerundive form signals necessity and can mean praise, honor, and—crucially—removal, hinting at sanctioned violence.
Octavian played a double game in the aftermath of Caesar's death—borrowing, shifting alliances, and ultimately joining Antony and Lepidus to form the Triumvirate—which helped bring about Cicero's downfall.

Aristotle views rhetoric as crucial in political life for collective decision-making.
Rhetoric and dialectic, according to Aristotle, serve different purposes with rhetoric being applied dialectic for practical use.
Aristotle believes truth exists independently, represented through thought and language, favoring the just and the true in communication.

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Liberal morality requires liberal mythology to shape political leadership and intellectual life.
Acknowledging the importance of persuasive storytelling and civic myth-making in open societies is crucial for public justification and promotion of liberalism.
Creating and sustaining genuinely pluralistic and open societies require proactive engagement, creative leadership, and the inclusion of diverse cultural narratives.

It's okay to change your mind about things. Believing that all knowledge is uncertain can make life feel lighter and more open.
We often wrongly assume our conclusions are true without enough evidence. It's important to question our beliefs instead of just accepting them.
Knowledge can be viewed like a financial option. It has a limited time to be useful, and we should regularly assess its value and relevance.