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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">I read
Aristotle’s ‘<I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Rhetoric’ </I>and realized
that the etymological root of the word is very important in order to establish
what Aristotle really meant to say and how the enthymeme can be defined. The
word <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">thymos </I>plays a very important
part here. Logicians (following Boethius) tend to define <I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">enthymeme </I>only as an argument with
missing premises. But, the presence of the word <I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">thymos </I>in the etymological root tells us
that the enthymeme is more than this or that this definition is incomplete (at
least from a rhetorical point of view). It is an argument with one or more
missing premises (or the conclusion), but we must surely add that the missing
premises address or somehow relates to people’s <I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">thymos. </I>I have seen that some authors
consider <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">thymos </I>as mind so, it is now
clear why those authors consider the enthymeme as addressing to the mind or as
“remembered in the mind”. I guess that it is because they think that the missing
premises of the enthymeme can be filled in by rational thinking. Some other
authors consider <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">thymos </I>as feelings,
as heart or emotions. I have also seen that <I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">thymos </I>is defined as <I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">spirit. </I>So, depending on how they define
<I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">thymos </I>they define the enthymeme, or,
at least, they mention something about to which part of human spirit the
enthymeme addresses to.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Aristotle
says in the <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Rhetoric </I>that the
enthymemes are “the substance of rhetorical persuasion” (translated by W. Rhys
Roberts) so I believe that Aristotle considered that enthymemes are so strong in
addressing to popular audiences because they address to thymos. </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">To cut it
short, my findings tell me that there is a modern and a classic understanding of
the <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">enthymeme. </I>The modern meaning of
enthymeme is the interpretation that comes from logic (arguments with unstated
premises/conclusion) and the classic that comes from Aristotle (a syllogism
based on probabilities or signs). I would add to the classic understanding that
we must relate the force of enthymemes to the "thymos", because this is why the
word exists in the etymological root. </P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">I wish to
thank you again for your effort of responding to my questions. I also wish to
ask your help in telling me something about what “thymos” means because it
somehow relates more to philosophy that to rhetoric. References will be also of
much help. <o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">I found a
very interesting article called “Enthymemes, Common Knowledge, and Plausible
Inference” by WALTON, <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:place>Douglas</st1:place>,
<I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Philosophy and Rhetoric,</I> vol. 34,
No.2, 2001, <st1:place><st1:PlaceName>Pennsylvania</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType>State</st1:PlaceType>
<st1:PlaceType>University</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Best
Regards,</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Radu C.<I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><o:p></o:p></I></P></DIV></BODY></HTML>