Rhetorical analysis of Mary Midgely’s “Trying Out One’s Sword”
Here are some things to keep in mind as you analyze Midgely’s rhetoric: what sort of tone does she strike? How does her style emerge from that tone, and vice-versa? What are the overall effects of this? What sort of anecdotal evidence does she provide to support her points? How successful was this evidence? Can you describe the structure of her piece? How does this emerge from her rhetorical choices?
Rhetorical analysis of Mary Midgely`s “Trying Out One`s Sword”
In the reading, “Trying Out One`s Sword,” British philosopher Mary Midgley attempts to warn us of the view against ethical judgment, which is the view that judgments can only be vindicated relative to one`s own beliefs and cultures. Midgley argues that not only is moral isolationism incorrect, it is logically incoherent. Midgley argues that moral isolationism leads to a general ban on moral reasoning – an unpalatable conclusion. She says that judging one`s own culture requires the ability to judge other cultures, as a frame of reference. If we cannot judge other cultures, then we cannot judge our own.
