Scholars and historians of rhetoric consider the Greek philosopher Aristotle to be one of the great contributors to our current understanding of this art which, from its origins to the present day, has been a controversial field of study due to its association with persuasion and the flu. However, the reading of many ancient and contemporary texts and the analysis of the origins and developments of this ancient art have marginalized the role of the sophists, who first introduced rhetoric into Greece, and have usually associated them with the bad reputation that rhetoric has acquired over the years. Undoubtedly, Aristotle developed rhetoric into a more complete and systematic explanation than that offered by the sophists, but an examination of how this great philosopher arrived at his discoveries and what elements formed his theory of rhetoric highlights that the sophists, who began this art, deserve a reevaluation of their role and an explanation of their “unethical” perspectives. In this essay I consider Aristotelian rhetoric as a progression of the nascent rhetorical teachings of the sophists. Arguably, the “disdained” sophists introduced a new field of study that formed a basis for Aristotle's theory. My argument is based on a chronological reading of the origins and development of rhetoric and recent studies on the sophists and their discredited achievements almost since the great philosopher Plato organized his battle against them. I also consider the Platonic versus Sophistic approach to the definition of rhetoric, its aims and purposes, and its relationship with the audience as consequential factors in the development of this art. Consequently, I suppose that this rival situation could not have existed without the sophists... middle of paper... his concern with ethos was closely related to what he saw as abuses of previous speakers, including the sophists, who exaggerated the 'use of ethos and gave “rhetoric a bad name” (p. 89). However, Allen (1994) had another interpretation: Aristotle “infuse(d) ethos with a strong recognition of kairos: the speaker…adapts his character to suit the moment, in order to establish a sense of identification – of credibility as a member of the community” (p. 7). Aristotle is undoubtedly a great philosopher whose contributions in many fields, including rhetoric, form a foundation of our modern education and research. However, many scholars have suggested that his theory was an evolution of a preliminary sophistic rhetoric developed over the years by a group of itinerant teachers who trained this art and played an important role in strengthening democracy in Greece..