In this lecture, I will go back to the ancient functions of rhetoric as it was conceived at the beginning: a set of tools that aims at developing citizens virtues grounded on public speech. In this perspective, I will first underline what rhetoric is not: it is neither philosophy nor science. It is an art to develop in every citizen an aptitude to change his/her viewpoint on a given situation. But such an art is effective and useful only if it is understood in a first step as “neutral” from an ethical viewpoint. Such an attitude is anti-idealistic but it is nevertheless concerned by citizen’s virtues. In order to pass this paradox, it is important to go back to the set of tools that were taught by the Ancient. E.G. dissoi logoi, ethopea, paradoxical praises. Such tools are taught today in various contexts in Brussels, thanks to a project in common with neurophysiologists. The challenge is to better understand the reason of effects that are obtained while training rhetoric in order to improve the main citizens’ virtues such as empathy, creativity, tolerance, facility in performances in public speech.
