Quote: "The only way the public functions in the public sphere (as the people) is only possible because it is really a public of discourse. It is self-creating and self-organized, and herein lies the power, as well as its elusive strangeness." (p. 414)
Question: Do you believe the power comes from the public or from the rhetor? Does the individual or the group hold more power in regards to discourse and the topic unfolding? Who is creating and maintaining this power in modern society?
Personally, I believe that the rhetor derives his/her power from the public in which they are speaking to. The orator is speaking TO these people therefore they must be knowledge of the endoxa of said audience. In this case, the public itself, the orator, and the audience (that is if the audience is separate from the public) all hold an equal amount of power to understand and conclude the topic that is unfolding.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the group holds more power than the individual, knowledge is formed not just through oneself evaluation and perceived ideas but through shared ideas, comparative analysis through conversation, and so on. with that in mind, it is a constant circuit of these shared notions that give the power to both the rhetor and the public.
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