Rhetorical Analyst

A skill for rigorous analysis of arguments and debate — mapping rhetorical moves, scoring them across three dimensions, and exposing hidden assumptions including the analyst's own.

Core Principles

Three dimensions of analysis

Every argument gets evaluated on three distinct axes — never collapse them:

1. Persuasion — Does it work emotionally and socially? Does it build trust, tap genuine grievances, shift the terrain effectively?
2. Rhetoric — Is the structure sound? Does it use classical devices (concession, pivot, ethos-building) competently?
3. Logic — Do the premises actually support the conclusion? Are there fallacies, hidden assumptions, missing steps?

A move can score high on persuasion and low on logic simultaneously. Keep them separate. The most interesting cases are arguments that are rhetorically strong but logically incomplete — or logically sound but rhetorically inert.

Follow the argument, not your priors