Is it unethical to use rhetoric to manipulate people?

Question

I am writing an essay for my English Honors class as a response to Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, and this topic really interested me. Do you think it's unethical, or not unethical (not the same as ethical)? Rhetoric has been punctuated as a means of exercising authority over individuals; however, rhetoric also contains the power of freedom from that authority. Whether you think it's unethical or not, please provide explanations, reasons, etc.

My argument is that using rhetorical speech in order to influence people is not unethical. I am looking for counterarguments and possibly as well as more reasons to support my thesis.

Answer 1

It would depend on what ethics you are committed to. If you accept an ethics such as utilitarianism in which that which is best for the greatest number is ethical than to manipulate people to achieve that end would be ethical. Or if you were to commit to an interest-based ethics in which anything that is in the interest of my group is acceptable than it would also be considered ethical to manipulate people with rhetoric.  But nearly all other approaches to ethics such as  principle-based ethics (such as based on social justice) or a care-based ethics (such as based on building caring relationships) or virtues-based ethics (such as developing good character) would consider it unethical--not because you use rhetoric, but because you are manipulating people. It is the manipulation that is unethical.

Answer 2

Rhetoric might be empty in term of facts, logic,  and empirical evidence in a debate, but it is not unethical.  

Politics is about ideas, but that does not mean all ideas have to make sense or are even valid.  It is the job of the person giving the speech to sway the audience to his way of thinking.  He can use any verbal means in order to achieve this goal.  It is the job of the audience to judge the words being spoken and to decide for themselves if the ideas are valid and if the reasoning in the speech is logical.  If the audience is swayed by rhetoric, then the audience has not done its duty as critical thinkers.

Answer 3

used by good story tellers and snake oil salesmen, it's only unethical if you lose something in the process, like money.