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Kant on the Power and Limits of Pathos: Toward a “Critique of Poetic Rhetoric”
- Philosophy & Rhetoric
- Penn State University Press
- Volume 50, Number 1, 2017
- pp. 73-95
- Article
- Additional Information
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This article gives an account of the nature and purpose of Kant’s poetic rhetoric in Dreams of a Spirit-Seer Elucidated by Dreams of Metaphysics. I argue that Kant employs a poetic mode of rhetoric in order to provoke a passionate, enthusiastic response in his audience. I go on to show that Kant became increasingly skeptical of poetic rhetoric’s pathetic power after publishing Dreams. Ultimately, I demonstrate that Kant’s confrontation with the Sturm und Drang led him to formulate a moral critique of poetic rhetoric and its tendency to undermine its audience’s rational autonomy. I conclude by highlighting the significance of this critique in and for the development of Kant’s mature rhetorical theory.