Emozioni e linguaggio nella sfera pubblica: perché non possiamo fare a meno della retorica
Abstract
Starting from the second half of the last century, the notion of public sphere has acquired a growing role in Western democracies. Referring to the discursive situations and the communicative processes through which it is possible to reach an opinion on issues of common interest, the public sphere fulfills, in fact, a fundamental function subjecting public discussion to a critical scrutiny. On the other hand, in recent times the progressive degradation to which the public sphere has faced has been underlined by many. A degradation very often attributed to the predominant role that emotions play in it (for example, we can consider the debate around the definition of post-truth). Going back to the theoretical model provided by (ancient) rhetoric, I will try, however, to show that such a thesis, with its inevitable corollary represented by the need to neutralize passions, arises from a misunderstanding of the intertwining of emotions and language in the public sphere. To better highlight the strengths of the rhetorical model, I will also propose a comparison with the two main theories of democracy currently in circulation, “deliberative democracy” and “agonistic democracy
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