Plato uses a character named Polemarchus in Plato's Republic as a vehicle to drive forward an ethical debate.
Polemicists typically argue a very narrow point by drawing upon many seemingly unrelated premises, they tend to emote and appeal to the sensibilities of their audience.
Another ancient word describing a style of argument is Sophism, a style typified by its deliberate and clever use of rhetoric and fallacy.
The polemicist does not see those who challenge his assumptions as partners in the search of truth; he sees them as enemies, whose very existence constitutes a threat.
The polemicist always relies on a legitimacy that his challengers are denied by definition.
The polemicists is capable of the most flagrant dishonesty: once he makes up his mind, he will persuade himself that his opinion, by definition, is the most righteous and correct.
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