Week 7 - The Enthymeme
Overview
An enthymeme is a reduced syllogism--that is, a syllogism with two statements rather than three. The two statements can be framed as a premise and a conclusion:
Life is more interesting with a college degree. [premise]
So you should get a college degree. [conclusion or claim]
A Toyota 4Runner is an SUV that still acts like a truck. [premise]
So we should get a 4Runner. [conclusion or claim]
The city needs to join the 21st century. [premise]
So the city should start recycling. [conclusion or claim]
Or we can frame the two statements in reverse order as "because" statements, that is, as a claim plus a reason:
Get a college degree [claim]
because your life will be more interesting. [reason]
We should purchase a Toyota 4Runner [claim]
because it's an SUV that still acts like a truck. [reason]
The city should start recycling [claim]
because it needs to join the 21st century. [reason]
Enthymemes are called reduced syllogisms because they are missing a premise. Aristotle said they were the basis of arguments--because rhetoric is not the same as philosophy. The missing middle premise in the enthymeme can be missing because it's something the audience already knows and believes--those shared values we were discussing with respect to ethos. Or it could be missing because the rhetor wants to keep the focus off of something that the audience may not agree with or know: the rhetor wants to hide it.
If I were to say this enthymeme to my son as he leaves for a 5-hour drive to Dallas, "Call me when you get there because otherwise I will worry," the missing premise is that calling will alleviate my worry. You can have multiple missing premises, such as in the enthymeme "Call me when you get there because I'm your mother." In this enthymeme, there are several missing premises (1) that calling will alleviate worry, and (2) that mothers tend to worry.
Can you work out the full syllogisms of the three colored examples? Try it yourself and then click here to see how I did it.
Reading & Resources
1. Read chapters 13 and 24 in Thank You.
2. Watch this short video on enthymemes.
3. Read this article, "Enthymeme, Or Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking?" on the application of enthymemes to political speech.
Activities
- Online only: Participate in a check-in Tuesday discussion in Bb. I will be asking you to articulate the enthymemes that underlie your deliberative argument.
- Submit In-process draft of deliberative argument (with cover memo) as Google Doc to group by Sunday, March 10, 11:59 p.m. (online section) or Monday, March 11, class time (on-campus section). I will make group assignments later this week.