The art of using language so as to persuade or influence others. Although rhetoric is apparently opposed to the philosophical ideal of the exact pursuit of truth, their reconciliation has sometimes seemed desirable, most notably to Cicero. If one thinks of philosophy as a matter of argument rather than doctrine, as the academic sceptics did, then rhetoric is good practice in argument. The cultivation of this art was an important study in medieval universities, and began to regain ground with the belief, widely shared in the late 20th century, that all discourse and argument contains a political and persuasive core. See also postmodernism.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/inourtime/inourtime_20041028.shtml An audio discussion of rhetoric by three experts

http://rhetoric.eserver.org/ A list of internet resources on rhetoric, including bibliographies and texts