"Rhetoric" is a text by the Greek philosopher Aristotle of Stagira. It consists of three books (I: 1354a - 1377b, II: 1377b - 1403a, III: 1403a - 1420a), and there is no doubt about the work’s authenticity.

Aristotle’s aim with *Rhetoric* appears to be to give the topic a thoroughly philosophical treatment, countering the careless approach that rhetoricians and sophists of the time took. More specifically, many believe that Aristotle's reflection on rhetoric was a response to the rhetorical conception of Isocrates of Athens.

Unlike Plato, who condemns rhetoric in the dialogue *Gorgias* and subordinates it to philosophy in *Phaedrus*, Aristotle's investigation — though philosophical — seeks to grant autonomy to rhetorical technique, separating it from philosophy's oversight (which Plato deemed necessary, considering rhetoric ethically dangerous).

According to Aristotle:

"Rhetoric is the counterpart of dialectic; for both deal with matters more or less connected to common knowledge and do not belong to any particular science. In fact, all people in some way participate in both, as all of them attempt to question and sustain an argument, defend themselves, or accuse others" (*Rhet.*, I, 1354a).

In Book I, Aristotle analyzes and grounds the three types of rhetoric: deliberative (which seeks to persuade or dissuade), judicial (which accuses or defends), and epideictic (which praises or censures). Arguments supporting the usefulness of rhetoric are also presented, along with an analysis of the nature of rhetorical proof, which is the enthymeme, a form of derived syllogism.

In Book II, the emotional dimension is analyzed in relation to the reception of rhetorical discourse. A series of elements, such as anger, friendship, trust, shame, and their opposites are examined, as well as character traits (e.g., the character of youth, the wealthy). This book also revisits forms of argumentation, presenting numerous argumentative topics, the use of maxims in argumentation, and the use of enthymemes.

In Book III, the style and composition of rhetorical discourse are analyzed. In addition to elements such as clarity, grammatical correctness, and rhythm, metaphor and the parts of a speech are also covered.

With this work, Aristotle lays the foundations of Western rhetoric. Over the centuries, the evolution of rhetoric has been more about refining Aristotle’s reflection on the subject than about truly original developments.