introducing

George Campbell a graphic guide

By: Sarah Demshar, Daniel Menter, Maya Schuller, and Emma Thornton

Biography

Early Life:George Campbell was born on December 25, 1719 in Aber-deen, Scotland. His father was a minister. He attended Aber-deen Grammar School, and Marischal College. He started an apprenticeship with a writer, and continued to study theol-

ogy at Marischal and King’s College.

Emma Thornton

Biography (Cont’d)

Late Life:Campbell was licensed as a preacher in 1746. He was ordained as a minister in 1748. He was appointed a minister of Aber-deen in 1757. After returning to Aberdeen, he established a Philosophical Society with five other men. He was awarded a doctorate of divinity degree in 1764. He was elected professor of Divinity at Marischal College in 1771. He died of a stroke in 1796.

Emma Thornton

Historical Context

Campbell lived in the post-enlightenment period, so the most recent philosophical and rhetorical theories and works came from this time. Campbell relied on the works of many of the influential rhetoricians and philosophers from this time, such as Locke, Ba-con, and Hartley when writing his own works. The importance of religion in culture was a large factor and influence on Campbell’s life and works.

Emma Thornton

George Campbell: Terms, Ideas, and Concepts

Campbell advocated the wedding of eloquence with lives led following exemplary models. He opposed both of the extremes in Christian conceptions of proof: neither “enthusiasts” nor “skeptics” yea be.

He preferred the artistic structure encouraged by ap-plying classical rules to discourse but also wanted to add the dynamic contributions of “modern” theory, especially psychology.

(http://interactivemedia.bradley.edu)

Portrait of Campbell, courtesy of Google Images

Campbell’s new definition of rhetoric was highly influential. He believed that, “the ultimate task of rhetoric is to enlighten (argue to) the understanding, to awaken the memory, to engage (please) the imagination, and to arouse (move) the passions to influence the will to action or belief” (Smith 225). The components of this definition can be broken down into these faculties of the audience’s mind:

• The understanding: Explaining what is unknown, alleviating doubt, and replacing it with a given belief.

• The will: Needs to be influenced in order to ultimately prompt action.• The affectations: Must move the passions and evoke emotions from the audience.• The memory• The imagination: The last two go together because the speaker both awakes the imagination

and stirs memories with the creation or of striking imagery.

This presents a rhetoric based on practical knowledge, i.e., rhetorical theory and new science, especially psychology, could be joined instead of continuing to have rhetoric and science at odds.

(Smith 225)

Page by Maya Schuller

Terms, Ideas, and Concepts:Campbell’s Treatment of Three Artistic Proofs

Opinions Regarding Ethos:• A good man must show this nature of his character and speak well.• Speaker must show this good will through sincerity and empathy.

Opinions Regarding Pathos:• Even when it comes to logical arguments, an audience member’s emotions will still come into

play.• The emotions that listeners associate with a set of similar emotions tie them into a certain

system of response.• Wit, humor, and ridicule are named as the powerful emotional forces.

Opinions Regarding Logos:• Scientific proof is outside rhetoric’s proper realm.• Moral reasoning brings one closer to truth than mere probability, but less than certainty can

achieve.• References to experience, analogy, probability, and especially testimony are effective in a logi-

cal argument. Testimony can include the experiences of others, which can be very powerful.• Intersubjectivity and corroboration are also effective tools of persuasion.

(http://interactivemedia.bradley.edu)

Page By Maya Schuller

Terms, Ideas, and Concepts:Campbell’s Treatment of Style

Campbell believed that language should be about use and practicality. His standards for style were that it be “reputable, national, and present,” (like the image to the left) rather than “faddish [or] absolute” (like the one on the right). He also said that a speaker should be able to make both direct and indirect speech appeals.

(http://interactivemedia.bradley.edu)

Terms, Ideas, and Concepts:Campbell on Intuitive vs. Deductive Evidence

Intuitive Evidence: evidence to our intuition that brings about immediate assent

A. Self-evident, mathematical axioms: e.g.,“Part cannot be greater than the whole” B. Consciousness or our immediate acquiescence to sense data C. Common sense: “original” knowledge, common to all sane people: e.g., sun will rise

II. Deductive Evidence: evidence that follows from a reasoning process

A. Scientific [mathematical] reasoning: Demonstration. B. Moral evidence or inductive reasoning from experience or experiment. 1. Direct Experience 2. Analogy 3. Testimony 4. Calculation of Chances

(Agnew, Lois. “The “Perplexity” of George Campbell’s Rhetoric: The Epistemic Function of Common Sense.” Rhetorica 18.1 (2000): 79-101.)

Page By Maya Schuller

MAJOR CONTRIBUTIONS to Rhetoric

Sarah Ashley Demshar

Philiosophy of Rhetoric:Campbell divided deductive evidence into scientific proof, a restatement of Cartesian philosophy andmoral reasoning, allowing a speaker to persuade and convince. The latter is divided into four species: experience, analogy, testimony, and calculation of changes. Of the four, testimony serves as a major contributor to the study of rhetoric because it constitutes a landmark in argumentation theory, lifted from the inartistic plane previously described by Aristotle, to the level of the artistic proofs.

Testimony was used to affirm Campbell’s belief in the authenticity of the Bible, but every biblical ac-count must first be subjected to critical analysis be-fore the evidence could be accepted. His work with the Bible is reflected in a speech delivered on April, 9 1771 at before the Synod of Aberdeen. Here, he con-demned religious enthusiasts for violating dictates of common sense and their admonitions of their conscience. This draws a parallel between history and the Bible to show that both rely on testimony for their prime source material.

MAJOR CONTRIBUTIONS cont’d.

Sarah Ashley Demshar

The inventional theory originated from Campbell’s theories, reflecting a greater influence of modern scientific

thought than classical. The theory discounted the Greek and Roman inventional system, which stressed topics and commonplaces as a means of generating new arguments. Instead, Campbell allowed people to construct theirown discourse by recalling information that was previously acquired by way of experience and established logic. This is similar to the way in which we construct our own discourse today. In addition, this accepts the Baconian distinction between inquiry and transmission, giving invention a managerial rather than investigatory function.

“As logic therefore forgoes the arms which eloquence teacheth us to wield, we must first have recourse to the former, that being made acquainted with the materials of which her weapons and armour are severly made, we may know their respective strength and temper, and when and how each is to be used. “

Campbell has one of the longest lasting impacts on rhetorical practice and pedagogy. He is responsible for telling speakers what is necessary to know about audiences in general, and audiences in particular. One of his most noteworthy ideas surrounding audience follows a notion of operating the passions, or the mover to the action. He is careful to take into consideration the following: Probability, plausibility,

importance, proximity of time, connection of place, relations to the

person addressed, interest in the consequences.

From these considerations, the speaker must have some knowledge about his particular audience, such as moral culture, educational levels, habits, political leanings, and religious beliefs.

“All men are endowedwith understanding,

imagination, memory, passions; speaker must arguements that can be understood to employ

vivacious language and form of repetition to

stimulate memory whileutilizing appeals to arouse

emotions.”

LASTING IMPACT on Rhetoric

Sarah Ashley Demshar

Campbell:INFLUENCES,

cONTEMPORARIES,

AND fOLLOWERS

Bacon

Bacon’s ‘sciences of the mind’ was very in-fluential to a group Campbell was a part of

while at Aberdeen, Scotland. Campbell’s: ‘the philosophy of rhetoric’ was read before

the group which was was known as “The Aberdeen

Philosophical Society”.

LOcke

HUME

Campbell was particularly influ-enced by Locke, especially in regard to philosophical epistemology. Locke belived that external events made impressions on the mind,.Rather than being born with knowledge, Locke thought humans were born as a ‘ta-bula rasa’ or blank slate, a belief that Campbell shared. Campbell’s Phi-losophy of Rhetoric would not have been possible if not for Locke’s influ-ence.

Hume was a British Empiricist who was heavily influential to

both Adam Smith and Immanuel Kant. A contemporary of Campbell, Hume was denounced in his time as an Atheist but was well respect-

ed by Campbell. Campbell and Hume’s philospohical differnces culminated in Campbell’s ‘A Dis-

sertation in Miracles’, a response to Hume’s ‘Enquiry Concerning

Human Understanding’.

LIst of works:

Books:

A Dissertation on Miracles

The Philosophy of Rhetoric

The Four Gospels

Sermons and Lectures:

The Nature, Extent, and Importance of Duty of Allegiance

The Success of the First Publishers of the Gospel

The Happy Influence of Religion on Civil Society

Works Cited

Agnew, Lois. “The “Perplexity” of George Campbell’s Rhetoric: The Epistemic Function of Common Sense.” Rhetorica 18.1 (2000): 79-101. Print.

“George Campbell (1719-1796).” . N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar 2012. <http://people.cohums.ohio-state.edu/Ulman1/Campbell/Campbell_bio.htm>.

“George Campbell on Rhetoric.” Web. 25 Mar. 2012. <http://interactivemedia.bradley.edu>.

Map of Scotland. 2011. Photograph. Lonely PlanetWeb. 26 Mar 2012. <http://www.lonelyplanet.com/maps/europe/scotland/>.

Marischal College, Aberdeen. 2010. Photograph. Doig SmithWeb. 26 Mar 2012. <http://www.doigandsmith.co.uk/proj_historical.asp>.

Smith, Craig R. Rhetoric and Human Consciousness: A History. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland, 2009. Print.

The Philosophy of Rhetoric by George Campbell. 2009. Photograph. Open Library-Web. 27 Mar 2012. <http://openlibrary.org/works/OL4659365W/The_Philosophy_of_Rhetoric>.