Rhetoric as a Cultural Strategy According to Farabi

From Farabi''s point of view man''s happiness is determined in the context of social life and relationship and inter-cultural understanding entails the happiness and progress of civil life. Among different logical categories، he considers rhetoric as having important features such as intelligibility and extension of topic and counts it a suitable means for public understanding and education of the individuals in society. He has political and social viewpoints، and conceives rhetoric as having tow aspect of cultural strategy: one is that it makes the truthful demonstrative sciences which are beyond the level of public understanding، by conceiving methods، easy and intelligible for the minds of people. In other words، the concern of the orator is the promotion of undoubted truths. Even in sciences such as medicine for purposes of culture-making and propagation of correct hygienic and medical behaviors among the public whose members have no appropriate knowledge of medicine rhetorical methods is needed، the second is that in mentally posited sciences which demonstration has no way and only dialectical and rhetorical method are applicable، the rhetorical methods are preferable to dialectic and public perception tends to be more amenable for rhetorical dialogue.