Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Jan 2019

Paging Paul Krugman: Toward a Topoi of an Exemplar Public Intellectual in the Natural and Physical Sciences

Michael J. Zerbe York College of Pennsylvania

Abstract

American economist Paul Krugman has become a highly influential public intellectual in the social sciences. The natural and physical sciences need a public intellectual like Krugman to make more effective arguments for the existence and urgency of climate change, the benefits of vaccine use, and other pressing issues. To demonstrate how such a goal can be achieved, this article presents a rhetorical analysis of Krugman’s public intellectual writing in The New York Times from 2013 to 2016. The substantial public impact of this body of work stems from Krugman’s use of rhetorical strategies that are both similar to and—more importantly—a departure from strategies used by other well-known public intellectuals in the sciences.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
2019-01-01
DOI
10.1177/0047281618754723
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Topics
rhetorical criticism
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (1)

  1. Zerbe et al. (2025)
    The Rhetoric of Science in (Times of) Crisis
    Rhetoric Society Quarterly

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