Technical Communication Quarterly Jul 2015

The US Intelligence Community's Mathematical Ideology of Technical Communication

Nate Kreuter Western Carolina University

Abstract

Reading historical intelligence community documents primarily through the lens of Kenneth Burke's essay "Semantic and Poetic Meaning," this article explores the history and stakes of the intelligence community's ongoing commitment to a problematic model of language use. The essay argues that the intelligence community's pursuit of a "mathematical" ideology of language is an attempt to render language "neutral" and to divorce rhetoric from ethics in ways that Burke anticipated, and with negative consequences for the generation of written intelligence reports and national policy decisions.

Journal
Technical Communication Quarterly
Published
2015-07-03
DOI
10.1080/10572252.2015.1044122
Open Access
Closed
Topics
technical communication multilingual writers

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (2)

  1. Zerbe et al. (2025)
    The Rhetoric of Science in (Times of) Crisis
    Rhetoric Society Quarterly
  2. Molloy (2019)
    Durable, Portable Research through Partnerships with Interdisciplinary Advocacy…
    Technical Communication Quarterly

Cites in this index (4)

  1. Barnard (2010)
    The Ruse of Clarity
    College Composition and Communication
  2. Nicotra (2009)
    Dancing Attitudes in Wartime: Kenneth Burke and General Semantics
    Rhetoric Society Quarterly
  3. Prendergast (2009)
    The Fighting Style: Reading the Unabomber’s Strunk and White
    College English
  4. Giles et al. (2005)
    A Syntactic Approach to Readability
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Also cites 10 works outside this index ↓
  1. Burke K. (1973)
    The philosophy of literary form (3rd ed., pp. 138–167)
     ↗
  2. Butler P. G. (2008)
    Out of style: Reanimating stylistic study in composition and rhetoric
     ↗
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     ↗
  4. 10.1080/03637758409390197
     ↗
  5. 10.1075/dapsac.31.06eis
     ↗
  6. 10.1177/0018726709337040
     ↗
  7. 10.2307/378062
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  8. 10.2307/375964
     ↗
  9. 10.1177/002194369703400202
     ↗
  10. 10.1017/CBO9780511819940
     ↗
CrossRef global citation count: 8 View in citation network →

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