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Aristotle was, "a scientist trained in classification" (Foss, Foss, Trapp 14). In his work On Rhetoric he categorized and defined the various facets of rhetoric, considering it to be, "the faculty of discovering...the available means of persuasion" (Aristotle 37). Rather than writing a moral treatise on rhetoric, as Plato did, Aristotle's treatment of the subject is pragmatic, and objective; it set the parameters for the study of rhetoric for the centuries following. More or less, we owe our modern conceptualizations of rhetoric to Aristotle, for he solidified ideas and concepts that had previously been intangible or unexplored.
The list of rhetors who have followed in Aristotle's footsteps is nearly infinite. However, there are a few notable rhetors who continued to progress the field of rhetoric, and persuasion. Specifically, the Roman rhetors: Cicero (106-43 B.C.), and Quintilian (35-95 A.D.). Their definitions of rhetoric stemmed from the more pragmatic aspects of Aristotle's work. Consequently, rhetoric has evolved to be considered a practical art form, rather than an abstract moral subject to be examined. Cicero is famed particularly for having elaborated on the elements of style in his treatise De Oratore, while Quintilian instructed on the proper education of an orator, and the practice of rhetoric in The Orator's Education.
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