THE HUMDRUM OF RHETORICS - A REPLY

Durrheim's core argument appears upon close inspection not to be very convincing, nor his use of rhetoric. His argument is now shown from th e-presumably exemplary-four theories, he cites. He unwarrantly strengt hens his argument by preselection, overgeneralization, oversimplificat ion, and by confusing and misconceiving key concepts, and using an arb itrary selection of theories. His suggestion that he knows the vast li terature of authoritarianism is not substantiated, considering the unb alanced use of citations, some along the line of Jaensch Ray and Eysen ck. Rhetoric is portrayed as an alternative scientific method, but see ms in this way rather to regress into a neodogmatic approach devoid of empirical testing and emancipatory content.