In the Vox podcast In a Nutshell, hosts Jara Majerus and Antonia Leise take a deep dive into the university's most interesting, strange, and exciting research. Every two weeks, they invite Radboud researchers to talk about their favourite topics – explained in bite-sized episodes. In today's episode, Jara talks with Bé Breij about the art of persuasion: rhetorics.

How do you persuade an audience? What is ethos, and why is it so important? And what connects ancient philosophers like Aristotle with modern politicians like Donald Trump?

Rhetoric is the answer — at least to many of the questions that arise when taking a closer look at the workings of public discourse. Invented in antiquity, rhetoric still shapes our present and future, and is therefore placed in the spotlight in this episode of In a Nutshell.

Together with her guest Bé Breij, Jara explores the power of rhetoric, its somewhat negative reputation, and how one can analyze the art of persuasion.

Breij is a professor of Latin language and literature, a specialist in ancient rhetoric, and the founder of Peitho, the Radboud knowledge center for rhetoric and persuasion.

Do you want to delve deeper into the world of rhetoric? Follow Breij’s tip and read Words Like Loaded Pistols by Sam Leith, Thank You for Arguing by Jay Heinrichs, and/or You Are Not Human: How Words Kill by Simon Lancaster. And be sure to check out Peitho’s website.