Arrangement is everything

My mission president once called one of my companions a “silver tongued serpent”. This particular companion was very skilled at using words to get things done the way he wanted. Sometimes it was a good way, sometimes not so much. He would follow the same arrangement that ancient Greeks employed, namely:

1)      Introduction

2)      Statement of Facts

3)      Division

4)      Proof

5)      Refutation

6)      Conclusion

As I read through Gorgia’s “Encomium of Helen” I saw this same pattern. For Gorgia’s, the arrangement is something like

1)      Helen is not to be blamed

2)      Stating who Helen was

3)      It was either by the wishes of Fortune and plans of the gods and decrees of Necessity she did what she did, OR abducted by force, OR persuaded by speeches, OR conquered by Love

4)      If it was the Gods will, then she had no choice she needed to follow.

 If it was force, then she is a victim, not an inciter, and received injustice, not caused it.
 If by a convincing speech then surely she cannot be blamed because speech has such great persuasive power that we cannot help but follow, for better or worse.
 If it came as a result of Love either it came from the Gods so she couldn’t resist or it came as a result of her mortal condition so she can’t be blamed because of her genetics.

5)      Surely it was one of these, how could it be anything else?

6)      I have shown that Helen is innocent.

He’s got me convinced. The same arrangement has worked on me before. That companion from my mission is the reason I am not a psychology major. His argument was arranged like this:

1)      Psychology isn’t a good major.

2)      If you want to support a family comfortably with a psychology major you need to get an advanced degree.

3)      You need to do more school for that major then another one. Also you need to have a certain personality type to make it in that field.

4)      The money to support a family simply isn’t really there.

5)      You have failed at talking to people for free, how will you do it for a job? Also, look at the stats.

6)      Psychology isn’t for you.

Needless to say, I’m not a psychology major.