Einstein and The Time Machine

Rhetoric…The art of bullshit some might say, yet are they right? Rhetoric is often used in media, politics, literary texts, etc. The ethics of it is quite entertaining. The morals behind using rhetoric define the ‘correct’ use of an ethical appeal. Ethics plays an important role in politics, it builds upon the trust between the politician and their followers. Take for example Donald Trump, who has no morality what so ever (sorry, not sorry), with a 55% disapproval rating, and possible impeachment, you could conclude from this very easily, something is wrong, and you my friend would be right. To give you a clearer understanding of what I’m talking about, what is ethics exactly? Ethics is the code of morals followed by a person. From being a corrupt businessman to saying things like “grab them by the …”, you could infer that Trump’s morals lack sophistication.
Rhetoric is supported through ethics, it pertains to one of the three rhetorical appeals, ethos. Establishing your jurisdiction to speak on a specific topic, is very important in creating an argument. Take for example a history teacher talking about math. Are you going to take their word that 2+2=4? If you’re very gullible, then probably yes, although it is common sense that you’re most likely to ask from help from a MATH teacher. Why is that? They have a knowledgeable background to prove their answer is beyond correct. Throughout history, ethics is used as a way to communicate effectively while building a strong argument to an audience. If Albert Einstein one day built a time machine and told you the world would end in three days, the probability of half the population believing him would be very likely (It’s hypothetical, don’t take it to literal). Why? His name is well known, the ethics behind his works is a great deal to the world, especially in the science community, I mean if you don’t know his name… Ethics is key for an audience believing what you have to say, yet sometimes if you perfect the canons of rhetoric, your rhetoric can become quite powerful to an audience.