Although there are similarities between the overall approach within Plato's view of rhetoric and Aristotle's view, they both differ in the delivery/overall approach of how they developed their thoughts upon rhetoric. Plato believes that rhetoric is a tool that is used to manipulate, so-to-speak, the uneducated to believe in the opinion of the superior. Aristotle, however, developed an understanding of rhetoric to benefit the uneducated in relation to the audience and who is willing to alter their own opinions, he was considered to be the "Father of Western Philosophy". Aristotle I believe was definitely more optimistic than Plato, however the approach in which Plato goes about rhetoric I would have to say is a more popular and effective when involving the absolute truths and how education has possibly become more open-minded in regards to how we educate others and what we believe is most important.
I believe that Aristotle's understanding of rhetoric was based on the absolute and logic, not misleading or uneducated. I feel as though Pluto viewpoint was powerful because absolute truths are a belief of mine and to have the absolute, mean there is no wiggle room, just solid.
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