Protreptic
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Protreptic is a mode of classical rhetoric associated originally with the Sophists who used this style in speeches for recruiting students. The philosopher would achieve this end by discussing the fallacies and deficiencies of rival schools while extolling the virtues of their own. Over time the style came to be associated with all the major philosophical schools, especially during the Second Sophistic.
The term derives from the Greek word προτρέπω (a compound of πρό- and τρέπω) which means "to urge forward; to exhort; to persuade."
