The Arrangement of Rhetorical Topics in the Works of the Philosophical School: A Critical Presentation and Evaluation A Critical Presentation and Evaluation

Abstract

Scholars examining the sciences of Arabic rhetoric may question the method by which rhetorical studies were arranged, whether at the level of the three major branches of rhetoric or at the level of the topics within each branch in the works of rhetoricians, particularly those of the philosophical school, which was notably concerned with methodological frameworks and systematic organization. This inquiry further raises questions regarding the principles governing such arrangements: Were they primarily based on the sequential requirements of comprehension and understanding, or on the hierarchical status of rhetorical branches and topics themselves? Moreover, is there an intrinsic relationship between these two considerations? The study also investigates the factors that were expected to influence rhetorical composition and the organization of rhetorical topics, as well as perceptions of their relative ranks and significance. This research seeks to bring together these scattered issues and examine them through a rigorous scientific methodology, drawing upon the definitions and conceptualizations of rhetoric articulated by the rhetoricians themselves.