Rhetoric Review Jan 2012

Rhetoric,Technê, and the Art of Scientific Inquiry

Chad Wickman Auburn University

Abstract

Abstract This article, drawing on Aristotle's concept of technê, develops a framework for exploring rhetoric in the process of scientific inquiry. The Aristotelian "causes" specifically highlight the technical procedures through which scientists carry out their work and the visual representations they deploy to generate meaningful accounts, "bring forth" new findings, and contribute to the existing field of knowledge. The author argues that a technê-based framework makes it possible to maintain a focus on rhetoric as a productive art while broadening the object of rhetorical analysis to include practices and modes of representation that contribute to knowledge production in the physical sciences. Notes 1I thank RR reviewers Nola Heidlebaugh and James Zappen for their careful and constructive readings of my manuscript. I would also like to thank Trey Bagwell for his assistance in bringing the project to fruition. An earlier version of this article was presented at the 2010 Rhetoric Society of America Biennial Conference. 2I obtained permission for this project through the University Institutional Review Board and from the scientists themselves. Names have been changed to protect participants' confidentiality.

Journal
Rhetoric Review
Published
2012-01-01
DOI
10.1080/07350198.2012.630953
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Topics
classical rhetoric rhetorical criticism
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (8)

  1. Scott et al. (2020)
    Metaphor 2: Crossing: Integrative Techne, Transdisciplinary Learning, and Writi…
    College English
  2. Edwell et al. (2018)
    Healing Arts: RhetoricalTechneas Medical (Humanities) Intervention
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  3. Ross (2017)
    The Role of Ethics, Culture, and Artistry in Scientific Illustration
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  4. Dorpenyo (2015)
    Mapping a Space for a Rhetorical-Cultural Analysis: A Case of a Scientific Proposal
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  5. Cole (2015)
    Kairosand Quantification: Data, Interpretation, and the Problem ofCrania Americana
    Rhetoric Review
Show all 8 →
  1. Walker et al. (2014)
    A Choreography of Living Texts: Selections from the ARST Oral History Project
    Rhetoric Review
  2. Wickman (2014)
    Wicked Problems in Technical Communication
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  3. Milbourne et al. (2013)
    Gender, Material Chronotopes, and the Emergence of the Eighteenth-Century Microscope
    Rhetoric Society Quarterly

References (22) · 2 in this index

  1. Aristotle (1998)
    Nichomachean Ethics
  2. Atwill Janet (1998)
    Rhetoric Reconsidered: Aristotle and the Liberal Arts Tradition
  3. Atwill Janet (1995)
    Discourse Studies in Honor of James L. Kinneavy
  4. Dunne Joseph (1992)
    Back to the Rough Ground: 'Phronesis' and 'Technê' in Modern Philosophy and in Aristotle
  5. Geertz Clifford (1973)
    The Interpretation of Cultures
Show all 22 →
  1. Gaonkar Dilip (1997)
    Rhetorical Hermeneutics: Invention and Interpretation in the Age of Science
  2. Gross Alan G. (2006)
    Starring the Text: The Place of Rhetoric in Science Studies
  3. Gross Alan G. (2000)
    Rereading Aristotle's Rhetoric
  4. Gross Alan (1997)
    Rhetorical Hermeneutics: Invention and Interpretation in the Age of Science
  5. Graves (1995)
    Rhetoric and reality in the process of scientific inquiry
    Rhetoric Review
  6. Heidegger Martin (1977)
    The Question Concerning Technology and Other Essays
  7. Johnson (2010)
    Craft Knowledge: Of Disciplinarity in Writing Studies
    College Composition and Communication
  8. Kennedy George (1999)
    Classical Rhetoric and Its Christian and Secular Tradition: From Ancient to Modern Times
  9. Knorr Cetina Karin (1981)
    The Manufacture of Knowledge: An Essay on the Constructivist and Contextual Nature of Science
  10. Latour Bruno (1999)
    Pandora's Hope: Essays on the Reality of Science Studies
  11. Latour Bruno (1990)
    Representation in Scientific Practice
  12. 10.1093/bjps/44.3.423
     ↗
  13. Miller Carolyn (1989)
    Technical Writing: Theory and Practice
  14. Mitcham Carl (1994)
    Thinking through Technology: The Path between Engineering and Philosophy
     ↗
  15. Nussbaum Martha (1986)
    The Fragility of Goodness: Luck and Ethics in Greek Tragedy and Philosophy
  16. Pickering Andrew (1995)
    The Mangle of Practice: Time, Agency, and Science
     ↗
  17. Roochnik David (1996)
    Of Art and Wisdom: Plato's Understanding of Techne
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