Rhetoric and Ideology

No one is without presuppositions and these presuppositions form our judgments and viewpoints regarding the phenomena in the world. Systems of thought are also subject to this rule since they can be based on ontological, epistemological or ideological bases. The ideological basis has an import on the making of concepts and theorizing. The influence of pre-conceptions can be seen in the theories of Arabic rhetorics. Arabic rhetorics was formed in a historical context under the influence of religious, cultural, social and political parameters. The present paper tries to shed some light on the role of ideology in the formation of rhetorical analyses, focusing on the views of Ash'ari and Mo'tazeli theologians. The results show that Muslim theologians, especially the Motazelis, defined their rhetorical concepts according to their ideological stances. Keywords: Rhetoric, ideology, theologians, Ash'aris, Muʿtazilit.