The Rhetoric Wars

The video explores the tension between Renaissance rhetorical culture and the Scientific Revolution's pursuit of absolute truth. It highlights how figures like Galileo embraced rhetoric, while others like Descartes and Hobbes favored mathematical certainty. Spinoza's geometrical approach to ethics is discussed as a challenge to rhetorical traditions. The video concludes by examining the role of rhetoric in Renaissance drama and its influence on English literature.

What inherent tensions are described between Renaissance rhetorical culture and the Scientific Revolution?

How did the Scientific Revolution seek to redefine the concept of truth?

In what ways did Galileo's approach differ from that of Descartes and Hobbes regarding rhetoric?

What role did drama play in the Renaissance culture of rhetoric according to the text?

How does the text suggest the revival of Roman rhetoric influenced English dramatic writing?