Kairos and Justice

In his effort to revive the concept of kairos among rhetoricians, Kinneavy elaborates on its ethical dimension and its close relation to justice. His explanation calls to mind the current volatile situation with several European newspapers publishing cartoons reflecting poorly on the prophet Mohammad and in response, the riots of Muslim citizens in various cities worldwide. The debate has been raised as to whether the freedom of speech and the press makes it acceptable or justifiable to publish the cartoons that some find insulting and degrading to a religious figure. Yet others are questioning whether the press has a responsibility for consequences of their rhetoric. I believe Kinneavy would agree with the latter.

He recalls how Plato used “proper measure” and “right time” to construct a doctrine of virtue “as the mean between two extremes (excess and deficiency)” (227). Kinneavy also suggests that these two characteristics come into play in examining the kairos of rhetoric. In this example, we can see that these are legitimate questions for the newspapers, as they created and published their cartoons. What is the proper measure for the situation? How much is too much? When does the satirical cross the line into being insulting? What is the right time to make this statement? In the midst of a U.S.-led war in Iraq, with newly-elected leadership of Hamas and with an Israeli leader who is gravely ill, when the political situation of the Middle East is quite unstable?

Kinneavy is right to emphasize that composition classrooms are a proper place for ethics to be taught – especially when they are incorporated into the major of each student. Likely he would question whether these journalists had benefited from classes incorporating such lessons. He notes that many classes (in science, technology, etc.) leave the lessons on ethics for other classes. He encourages teachers of rhetoric to take up that challenge. “No one can abrogate his or her own responsibilities and leave morality to the philosophers and or theologians” (234).