When you start digging into literature, you start finding a lot of Greek words. the Greeks had a significant impact on language for multiple reasons. They were certainly cultured and used one of the first alphabets. In this post, we are going to analyze one of these words, specifically “procatalepsis.” It holds significant rhetorical value.
Procatalepsis Defined
Word Origin
To begin, the word “procatalepsis” originates from the Greek origin of “prokatalepsis” which combines the prefix “pro,” (“in advance”) and the suffix “katalepsis” (“to seize” or “to grasp”). In this way, one is “grasping” an idea “in advance.”
Procatalepsis In Practical Application
Procatalepsis is a “prebuttal” of sorts. It is a strategy that allows a speaker to anticipate and address objections before they are raised. That is, if two people are having a debate, one person would respond to the coming objections by saying them first within their argument.
This is a useful tactic for a few reasons. The first is that it offers a preemptive defense as to your main points and thesis. for an audience, this means you’ve given a lot of thought to your topic and are able to defend it completely. The second is that it builds credibility in you as a writer. The Greeks call this “ethos,” or how people perceive whether you are reliable or not. If the audience believe you are trustworthy, then you are more likely to get your point across.
Takeaways Regarding Procatalepsis
Procatalepsis is similar to a counterarguments section of an essay. Here, you anticipate objections yourself, and you generate counterarguments to defend your topic. As you write your essay, you are keeping in mind the things people may say against you. The counterargument section allows you to address these criticisms without ever having to hear them.
Later, after you’ve heard those arguments–or new ones–against your own (perhaps on the debate stage), you can then refine your argument by going back through your essay and change your approach.
For additional information, Harvard University has a great section on counterarguments in their Writing Center.
