A noble rhetor will use language to direct our passions to noble ends whereas a base rhetor will direct our passions to confuse, deceive, and degrade us. Utterances are therefore never neutral. They are subjectively born, intimate, and value-laden. Through language our intentions are revealed. Since utterances are imbued with our value-system, audiences may infer our ethical perspective by the specific language that we use.
Language is Sermonic.
Of central importance to Weaver's interpretation of rhetoric is the concept of choice. The explanation given in the readings is that our choices are determined by our value-systems. Each person possesses a value system or ethical perspective that guides the individual in making choices. Five distinct categories of topics were identifiedQplaces or regions where one can go and find the substance for persuasive argumentQthat, when used in discourse, have different ethical consequences. This appeal involves the interpretation of experience in a causal relationship.