On the Pathology of the Enthymeme: Accounting for Hidden Visual Premises in Advertising Discourse

Signs and Society, Vol. 2, No. 1 (Spring 2014), pp. 1-27

28 Pages Posted: 25 May 2014

Date Written: May 24, 2014

Abstract

One of the key reasons that have been put forward for justifying the superior argumentative force of visuals over verbal arguments in advertising discourse is their immediacy. The immediate resonance of visuals and their forceful appeal bear considerable resemblance to the argumentative force of enthymemes as hidden premises in informal rhetorical argumentation. In this article an attempt is made at bridging the logical and pathemic appeals of enthymemes under the aegis of what may be called the pathology of the enthymeme, while demonstrating that what has been pejoratively tagged, since Freudian psychoanalytic discourse, as “the psychopathology of everyday life” in fact constitutes the very underpinning of enthymematic structures and a system of topoi of which such structures constitute an integral part. By assuming as the point of departure of this genealogicopathological tracing Heidegger’s opening up of the meaning of logos and as destination Heidegger’s ontological reading of everydayness, the enthymematic embeddedness of cultural topoi is depathologized, while being reinserted in its “proper” pathological dimension. The exemplification of how visual enthymemes function and may be translated as hidden premises in advertising discourse seeks to demonstrate the pathology of the enthymeme as “unquestionable” major premises that underpin visual arguments.

Suggested Citation

Rossolatos, George, On the Pathology of the Enthymeme: Accounting for Hidden Visual Premises in Advertising Discourse (May 24, 2014). Signs and Society, Vol. 2, No. 1 (Spring 2014), pp. 1-27 , Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2441460

George Rossolatos (Contact Author)

University of Kassel ( email )

Fachbereich 05
Nora-Platiel-Straße 1
34109 Kassel, Hessen 34127
Germany

HOME PAGE: http://grossolatos.blogspot.com/

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