Search results for "Diabole"

Macchina del fango e demonizzazione dell’avversario. Sulla nozione di diabole nella retorica greca.

2014

The topic of this paper is the rhetorical notion of diabole: a charge that attempts to cast the opponent in a negative light in order to create a negative prejudice in the audience. It is a rhetorical strategy similar to what is currently called a “character assassination” (in Italian “macchina del fango”), a strategy aimed at discrediting and vilifying the adversary using any means. Therefore, it is a phenomenon that involves the important question concerning the role of ethos in the persuasive process. The paper focuses on a particularly insidious aspect of diabole: its use as a form of counterattack. This means that diabole can be dangerous not only when it is used to discredit or vilify…