Aristotle's Take on Style Is Acceptable! (Aristotle's Rhetoric pt. 6)

Main Ideas and Lessons (with emphasis on Aristotle’s “three virtues of style,” plus the narrator’s caveats)

1) Context matters: Aristotle’s advice is for ancient Greek political/public discourse

• The speaker stresses that Aristotle is not describing “rhetoric for all times and places.”
• Aristotle’s categories are rooted in Greek political speech, so applying them universally (without adaptation) is a mistake.
• The speaker warns against overgeneralizing style guidelines—similar to misusing old academic rules as universal instructions for everyday communication.
• Takeaway: Treat Aristotle’s guidance as principles for a specific rhetorical situation, not a one-size-fits-all rulebook.

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2) Aristotle’s “three virtues” of style

Aristotle’s approach is framed as outlining three core virtues/characteristics of effective style:

A) Clarity

Aristotle’s idea (paraphrased in the video):

• Speech should be clear, because speech is a “sign,” and if it doesn’t make things clear, it fails to do its job.
• Clarity should avoid inappropriate tonal deviation—“neither flat nor above the dignity of the subject.”

The narrator’s key clarification/critique:

• Clarity matters, but the speaker argues audiences should get more than semantic transparency.

Two kinds of clarity

1. Semantic clarity (what the words denote)

   • Words should clearly refer to intended objects/ideas.
   • Example: using “chair” is semantically efficient.

2. Attitudinal/character clarity (what kind of person/stance the speaker reveals)

   • Clarity can also mean revealing attitudes, personality, and character.
   • Example: calling a chair a “straight-backed flat-seated torture device” may be less semantically “efficient,” but it clearly signals the speaker’s attitude toward the chair.
   • The speaker prefers learning “who I’m dealing with” over only understanding “what is said.”

Additional modern concern (narrator’s commentary):

• Overreliance on tools like autocorrect, Grammarly, or AI can standardize language and flatten individuality—making people “sound the same.”

Practical takeaway for clarity:

• Aim for clarity, but choose the kind that supports not only comprehension, but also trustworthiness and character.

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B) Propriety (appropriateness)

Aristotle’s idea (as presented):

• Style is appropriate when it is:

  • proportional to the subject matter
  • expressive of the right emotion and character
  • suited to the context (not solemn in casual situations, and not casual where gravity is required)

• Ornament and word choice must “fit” the occasion—especially regarding seriousness vs. triviality.

Examples the speaker uses:

• If you’re speaking about the need to go to war, use the gravity the topic demands.
• If you’re speaking to an honorary war hero, don’t shift into an excessively somber or overly restrained style afterward.
• The speaker draws on Richard Lanham’s discussion (summarized): when delivering harsh news (e.g., salary cuts/layoffs), wording should shift—being “long-winded, dismal, formal” can signal empathy and respect for the gravity.

Poetic “flouting” (narrator’s add-on):

• Propriety is good, but poets sometimes intentionally violate conventions to create effects (e.g., using lofty style for mundane topics), producing meaningful outcomes.

Practical takeaway for propriety:

• Match:
  • tone/emotion to the stakes
  • style intensity to the occasion
  • language choices to the context
• “Appropriate style” is not universal—it changes across situations (emails vs. texting, professional vs. family contexts).

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C) Correctness

Aristotle’s mention: good style is “correct,” but the video’s narrator spends little time on it.

The speaker’s argument:

• “Correctness” in English is hard to define globally.
• English varies widely by region and purpose.
• People can get distracted by tiny punctuation/spelling disputes while missing what matters most.

The narrator’s stance:

• Correctness matters mainly insofar as it doesn’t interfere with:
  • clarity
  • propriety
• Readers usually understand meaning even with minor errors.
• When grading papers, the speaker focuses correction efforts mainly when errors affect the argument.

Practical takeaway for correctness:

• Don’t obsess over correctness as an end in itself; treat it as subordinate to clarity and appropriateness.

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Additional “Gems” / Extensions the Narrator Recommends (more generalizable principles)

These are not presented as formal Aristotle rules, but as important insights the speaker draws from the passage.

Gem 1: Make language unfamiliar (“defamiliarization”)

• Aristotle is described as advising that language be made less familiar.
• The narrator argues that the persuasive goal includes getting attention:
  • when language feels overused, audiences treat it as “white noise.”
• Connections drawn:
  • Orwell: avoid writing in clichés readers already expect.
  • Poets: defamiliarization prevents old ideas (e.g., autumn imagery) from turning into empty repetition.
  • Politics: labels can lose persuasive force when they become too familiar over time.

Principle:

• Use fresh phrasing so ideas don’t sound pre-chewed.

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Gem 2: “Energ(e)ia” / bringing things before the eyes (making abstractions feel alive)

• Aristotle is described as urging vividness:
  • animate inanimate things through metaphor (e.g., arrows “eager to fly,” spears “longing to take their fill”).
• The narrator adds a sensory/experiential argument (inspired by David Abram):
  • humans first engage through the senses (eyes/ears/nose/body)
  • abstract concepts are derived from lived experience
  • persuasion works better when style makes experiences vivid rather than only feeding abstractions.

Principle:

• Prefer language that is sensory/experiential instead of abstract and distant.

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Gem 3: Avoid unnecessary words / overly obvious phrases

• Aristotle is said to dislike redundancy (e.g., “white milk,” since milk is obviously white).
• A humorous footnote is noted:
  • translator George A. Kennedy jokes that Aristotle didn’t know about “chocolate milk.”

Principle:

• Remove needless phrasing unless it adds meaning (humor, clarity shift, emphasis, etc.).

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Overall Conclusion of the Video

• The speaker frames Aristotle’s content as broadly useful but not universally authoritative.
• Main synthesis:
  • Style matters as a means of persuasion.
  • Adapt style choices to the context.
  • Don’t treat Aristotle’s advice as rigid universal rules.
• Final rhetorical ethic:
  • keep what works, drop what doesn’t—rather than agreeing or rejecting wholesale.

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Speakers / Sources Featured (named)

• Aristotle — Rhetoric, Book 3 (especially style virtues)
• The narrator / speaker (unidentified in the subtitles)
• Kenneth Burke — referenced for semantic vs. poetic meaning (semantic/poetic ideal distinction)
• Richard Lanham — referenced for propriety examples (formal/long-winded tone for a salary-cut scenario)
• George A. Kennedy — Aristotle translator; footnote joke about “chocolate milk”
• Pablo Neruda — referenced regarding poetic use of lofty style for mundane topics
• Orwell — referenced (avoid writing what readers have already seen in print)
• David Abram — referenced via The Spell of the Sensuous (sensory/experience-based explanation)