Blog 5: The Man Behind the Curtain: Ideas that Influence

No matter how far we go back in the history of rhetoric, we always seem to find thinkers whose ideas were influenced by others. I always tell my students that no author writes in a vacuum; she is shaped by the history and culture and context in which she lives. Likewise, no philosopher thinks in a vacuum and no rhetorician speaks in a vacuum. Vico, who is almost as far back as you can go in the history of rhetoric was, according to our readings, strongly influenced by Plato and Grotius. In our readings, I also detected influence of Socrates in Vico's ideas. Vico writes, "Through application and study we can seek to discover the potential of our soul and attempt to exploit it in order to examine our own consciousness." This echoes Socrates' belief that knowledge is innate and that the job of the educator is to draw that knowledge forth through the use of questions (that infamous "Socratic Method").

Conversely, we see thinkers whose ideas were strongly influential in realms beyond the academic. Locke's beliefs that "all men are created equal" and that people have a right to "life, liberty, and property" were instrumental in our own country's ideals and founding documents. In class, we discussed what Locke meant by "all men" and how greatly it differs from our idea about the same concept. While almost all people today believe that this phrase refers to both men and women of all races, creeds, and ethnicities, Locke was probably referring only to privileged white men. Initially, this seems infuriating, but as we discussed this issue in class (especially thanks to Dr. Souder's comments), I softened a bit towards Locke. It is important to remember that he was a man of his time, and while this doesn't excuse wrong treatment of other human beings, it does shed light on what we see as a glaring contradiction. Locke was working with a different definition of "human" and was not immersed in a culture that taught respect for all peoples. If we were to accept his idea of the tabula rasa, or blank slate, his environment gave him no tools for seeing both women and men as they ought to be seen--fully human, fully equal, fully worthy of respect. Instead the prejudices of his ancestors were wholly transmitted to him. Interestingly, we also see the same aggravating dichotomy present in Jefferson, who penned the immortal words, "All men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights" and yet owned slaves.

Hume was a true Renaissance man who influenced the worlds of politics, trade, philosophy, and religion. According to Marilyn's presentation, echoes of Hume's ideas are present in James Madison's Federalist Papers, again a major influence on the early stages of our nation's development. Contributing to the Enlightenment ideals of skepticism and testing through evidence, Hume was in turn influenced by the historian Tacitus, among others.

So what does this all have to do with the modern composition classroom? Well, as we have been pondering our pedagogy statements, I have been struck by the vital importance of understanding what theories are shaping our practice. I often dwell on the practical out of necessity, but it is essential for me to take a step back and think about what ideas are driving my practice and what consequences my philosophies are having on my students. This class has been incredibly helpful for me in both contemplating and shaping my personal philosophies of writing. Ideas have influences. The best way to deepen one's understanding of any influential figure is to closely examine his or her influences and the consequence of his or her ideas in politics, society, and the academy. And it is of critical importance that we as educators make choices about the ideas we allow to influence us.