The Ancient Art of Advocacy Logo

In Utrumque Partes

in ut-rum'kay par'-tes / From Latin: "on either side"
Also known as: in utrumque partem

Arguing both sides of an issue. Aristotle explains that doing so is necessary to be sure one is arriving at the true state of the case (see stasis) and to anticipate counterarguments (see procatalepsis).

As such, this term names not so much a figure of speech as a general approach to rhetoric, or an overall argumentative strategy. However, it could be manifest within a speech on a local level as well, especially for the purposes of exhibiting fairness (establishing ethos).

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Acknowledgement

The above information on individual rhetorical techniques is reproduced from the website “Silva Rhetoricae” (www.rhetoric.byu.edu ) under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence. Credit for this content lies with Professor Gideon O Burton of Brigham Young University.