Dispositio
Encyclopedia
See also: Disposition (disambiguation)
Dispositio is the system used for the organization of arguments in Western classical rhetoric
. The word is Latin
, and can be translated as "organization" or "arrangement."
It is the second of five canons of classical rhetoric (the first being inventio
, and the remaining being elocutio
, memoria
, and pronuntiatio
) that concern the crafting and delivery of speeches and writing.
The first part of any rhetorical exercise was to discover the proper arguments to use, which was done under the formalized methods of inventio. The next problem facing the orator or writer was to select various arguments and organize them into an effective discourse.
Aristotle
defined two essential parts of a discourse: the statement of the case and the proof of the case. For example, in a legal argument, a prosecutor must first declare the charges against the defendant and provide the relevant facts; then he must present the evidence that proves guilt. Aristotle allowed that in practice most discourse also requires an introduction and a conclusion.
Later writers on rhetoric, such as Cicero
and Quintilian
refined this organizational scheme even further, so that there were eventually six parts:
While this structure might appear to be highly rigid (and certainly some writers on the subject were overly pedantic), it was in practice a flexible model. Cicero and Quintilian, for example, encouraged writers to rearrange the structure when it strengthened their case; for instance, if the opposing arguments were known to be powerful, it might be better to place the refutation before the proof.
Within each major part, there were additional tactics that might be employed. For instance, a prosecutor might sum up his case with forceful repetition of his main points using a technique known as accumulatio
. The defense attorney in the same case might use a different approach in his summation.
Finally, dispositio was also seen as an iterative process, particularly in conjunction with inventio
. The very process of organizing arguments might lead to the need to discover and research new ones. An orator would refine his arguments and their organization until they were properly arranged. He would then proceed on to those areas that we generally associate with rhetoric today — the development of the style and delivery of the arguments.
Disposition (disambiguation)
A disposition is a tendency to act in a specified way.Disposition may also refer to:* Disposition , the set of choirs of strings on a harpsichord* "Disposition" , a 2001 progressive metal song by Tool...
Dispositio is the system used for the organization of arguments in Western classical rhetoric
Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western...
. The word is Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, and can be translated as "organization" or "arrangement."
It is the second of five canons of classical rhetoric (the first being inventio
Inventio
Inventio is the system or method used for the discovery of arguments in Western rhetoric and comes from the Latin word, meaning "invention" or "discovery"...
, and the remaining being elocutio
Elocutio
Elocutio is the term for the mastery of stylistic elements in Western classical rhetoric and comes from the Latin loqui, "to speak". Although today we associate the word elocution more with eloquent speaking, for the classical rhetorician it connoted "style".It is the third of the five canons of...
, memoria
Memoria
Memoria was the term for aspects involving memory in Western classical rhetoric. The word is Latin, and can be translated as "memory."It was one of five canons in classical rhetoric concerned with the crafting and delivery of speeches and prose.The art of rhetoric grew out of oratory, which was...
, and pronuntiatio
Pronuntiatio
Pronuntiatio was the discipline of delivering speeches in Western classical rhetoric. It is the one of five canons of classical rhetoric that concern the crafting and delivery of speeches. In literature the equivalent of ancient pronuntiatio is the recitation of epics Pronuntiatio was the...
) that concern the crafting and delivery of speeches and writing.
The first part of any rhetorical exercise was to discover the proper arguments to use, which was done under the formalized methods of inventio. The next problem facing the orator or writer was to select various arguments and organize them into an effective discourse.
Aristotle
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
defined two essential parts of a discourse: the statement of the case and the proof of the case. For example, in a legal argument, a prosecutor must first declare the charges against the defendant and provide the relevant facts; then he must present the evidence that proves guilt. Aristotle allowed that in practice most discourse also requires an introduction and a conclusion.
Later writers on rhetoric, such as Cicero
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief...
and Quintilian
Quintilian
Marcus Fabius Quintilianus was a Roman rhetorician from Hispania, widely referred to in medieval schools of rhetoric and in Renaissance writing...
refined this organizational scheme even further, so that there were eventually six parts:
- the introduction, or exordiumExordium (rhetoric)In Western classical rhetoric, the exordium was the introductory portion of an oration. The term is Latin and the Greek equivalent was called the Proem or Prooimion....
-- The term exordium comes from the Latin term meaning "to urge forward."
- the statement of the case, or narratio -- Quintilian pointed out about narratio that: "We shall for instance represent a person accused of theft as covetous, accused of adultery as lustful, accused of homicide as rash, or attribute the opposite qualities to these persons if we are defending them; further we must do the same with place, time and the like."
- the outline of the major points in the argument, or divisio (sometimes known as partitio) -- It has two functions: names the issues in dispute and lists the arguments to be used in the order they will appear.
- the proof of the case, or confirmatio -- It confirms or validates the material given in the narratio and partitio.
- the refutation of possible opposing arguments, or confutatio -- If the rhetor anticipates that certain people in his audience may disagree his or her speech, he or she can be prepared to refute the argument that could possibly be presented in opposition to his original speech.
- the conclusion, or peroratio -- Cicero taught that a rhetor can do three things in this step: sum up his or her arguments, cast anyone who disagrees with him or her in a negative light, and arouse sympathy for himself or herself, his or her clients, or his or her case.
While this structure might appear to be highly rigid (and certainly some writers on the subject were overly pedantic), it was in practice a flexible model. Cicero and Quintilian, for example, encouraged writers to rearrange the structure when it strengthened their case; for instance, if the opposing arguments were known to be powerful, it might be better to place the refutation before the proof.
Within each major part, there were additional tactics that might be employed. For instance, a prosecutor might sum up his case with forceful repetition of his main points using a technique known as accumulatio
Accumulatio
Accumulatio is a figure of speech, in which the points made previously are presented again in a compact, forceful manner. It often employs the use of climax in the summation of a speech.The word is from the Latin, and means "to amass."-Examples:...
. The defense attorney in the same case might use a different approach in his summation.
Finally, dispositio was also seen as an iterative process, particularly in conjunction with inventio
Inventio
Inventio is the system or method used for the discovery of arguments in Western rhetoric and comes from the Latin word, meaning "invention" or "discovery"...
. The very process of organizing arguments might lead to the need to discover and research new ones. An orator would refine his arguments and their organization until they were properly arranged. He would then proceed on to those areas that we generally associate with rhetoric today — the development of the style and delivery of the arguments.