The Banality of Rhetoric? (Part 2): Alternate Views of Technical Communication and the Holocaust

Mark Ward Clemson University

Abstract

Steven Katz's “The Ethic of Expediency” has become a reference point for discussions of ethics since its 1992 publication. Previously, this author assessed Katz's rhetorical analysis of Nazi technical communication against current research on the Holocaust and noted that scholarship suggests ideology rather than technological expediency as its motivating force. Yet implicit in the author's critique are two remaining questions, namely: What other rhetorical interpretations may be possible of the SS technical memo analyzed by Katz? And is Katz, who makes broad generalizations about Western rhetoric based on a single document, supported by examples of other Nazi technical communications? This article explores alternate interpretations of the SS memo suggested by the arguments of Rivers and Moore; presents the author's view that the Katz thesis decontextualizes the memo and that historical context argues for a primarily ideological ethos; and reviews sources for English translations of other Nazi documents.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
2010-07-01
DOI
10.2190/tw.40.3.e
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (1)

  1. Technical Communication Quarterly

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