Abstract
The Habermasian concept of public sphere has been criticized for its repression of "sentimental moments" and "differences in identities." To avoid the analytical predicament incurred by Habermas's discursive model, the author proposes a rhetorical model of public sphere in order to explore issues associated with the construction of a local public sphere from the perspective conversational practices. When public reasoning is viewed as a process of rhetorical action and interaction, all aspects constituting public social conversation (including place, occasion, atmosphere, timing, tone, gesture and posture) should be carefully documented and analyzed. This idea is inspired by Giambattista Vico's concept of sensus communis, or "common sense," which plays a crucial role in channeling social trust--the sentimental pillar of the nascent public sphere. According to a rhetorical model, a good communicator should be able to integrate argument and public performance with "pure reasoning," thus being able to form a community's conflicting identities, interests, and opinions into a state of the "common mind" as expressed by Charles Taylor. The author uses a local community situation in Taiwan to illustrate the significance of the art of reasoning, especially for those who intend to put the public sphere into practice in a community marked by partisan competition.