Abstract
When preparing the revised English version of my book, I was so worried about such reactions as Professor Gross's that I changed the title from Scienza e retorica to The Discourses of Science but I was also so optimistic about my readers that I was sure I would not be misunderstood. In any case, to avoid risks, I warned them that I am not concerned with sociological hermeneutic, communication questions regarding scientific texts, their making, presentation, and diffusion. In particular, with reference to Professor Gross' book, I explicitly said that I do not believe that scientific facts are words, or, to use one of his own expressions in his book The Rhetoric of Science, that, say, the sense of the reality of a molecule is an effect only of words, numbers, and pictures judiciously used with persuasive intent. Unfortunately, my worries were right and my optimism ill-founded.