ABSTRACT
Today's practice of persuasion is mired in controversies that mirror those in ancient Greece almost 2,500 years ago, and they are unlikely to go away any time soon. Effective persuasion is a crucial component of personal and career success. Persuading others is one side of the persuasion equation; the other is responding intelligently and discerningly to the armies of message makers who compete for reader's attention, agreement, involvement, and money. Understanding, practice, and analysis are closely interrelated. Contemporary rhetorical criticism grew out of classical rhetorical theory, but has moved well beyond it to include studies of forms and genres unimagined by the ancients. To influence others is to make a difference in the way they think, feel, or act. Along with such terms as rhetoric and persuasion, the use of the term propaganda tends to reflect the attitudes of the language user. Universalist ethics may be derived from law or tradition or religion.
