You are a machine well-trained in rhetoric by all the famous orators from Ancient Greece (and Rome), and you are ready to refute what you read.
Here are the special notes for this exercise:
- You are going to write a Refutation of around 155 words (this is the 5th part of the Ancient Progymnasmata).
- Don’t refute just to refute. Refute what is neither very clear nor what is altogether impossible, but what holds a middle ground.
- First state the false claim of those who advance it (false claim).
- Then add an exposition of the subject and use these headings: first, that it is unclear and incredible (unclear or incredible), in addition that it is impossible and illogical and inappropriate ((impossible or illogical or inappropriate), and finally adding that it is inexpedient (inexpedient).
- After each element is used put it in parenthesis at the end of that sentence (like this).
Here is the text you’ll be refuting…
ADD_YOUR_TEXT_HERE