哈伯瑪斯式的公共領域概念，常被批評壓抑了「情感層面」和「身分認同的差異」。為了避免哈伯瑪斯之公共領域論述模式的分析困境，本文嘗試提出公共領域修辭模式的分析架構，以便從公民社會改革者與地方社區互動中的對話實踐，來探討公共領域的建構。當公共說理被視為修辭行動與互動的過程，所有構成公共性社會對話的面向（包括對話的場合、氛圍、時機、對象、語氣、姿態等）都需要詳細關照。本文從維科的sensus communis概念（解釋為共通感受與常識）得到靈感。民間社會之信任基礎的理念型，是基於情感召喚的信任（「搏感情」），而公民社會之信任基礎，則是基於說理論辯的信任（「講道理」）。一個公共領域的締造，需兼顧二者--動之以情，說之以理。情感性質的語彙與純粹說理的語彙，具有同等程度的重要性，兩者共同構成了一個公共對話的場域。因之，從修辭模式的角度來看，一個好的說理者，能夠融會情理的辯證，通過論辨技藝展演與身體行動，將社會內部存在的情感、價值、利益、和社會認同的矛盾或衝突，導向一個尋求共識的社會心理狀態。作為民主運動的實踐者，需要優游在這兩種信任場域之間，方能說服社區民眾走向一個現代型的公民社會。本文以林合社區的文史工作者與當地居民以及派系的互動經驗為例，說明公共修辭的技藝，在一個地方公共領域草創階段的重要性；尤其在臺灣地方政治生活普遍被派系生態所穿透的環境中，共通感受的傳遞，更是建構公共領域的重要初始條件。

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.