Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Oct 2004

Herbert Spencer's Philosophy of Style: Conserving Mental Energy

Russel Hirst University of Tennessee at Knoxville

Abstract

My article traces the development, chronicles the impact, and explains the essence of Herbert Spencer's “The Philosophy of Style” (1852). Spencer's essay has had a significant influence on stylistics, especially in scientific and technical communication. Although in our generation Spencer's contribution to stylistics is not widely remembered, it ought to be. His single essay on this subject was seminal to modern theories about effective communication, not because it introduced new knowledge but because it was such a rhetorically astute synthesis of stylistic lore, designed to connect traditional rhetorical theory with 19th-century ideas about science, technology, and evolution. It was also influential because it was part of Spencer's grand “synthetic philosophy,” a prodigious body of books and essays that made him one of the most prominent thinkers of his time. Spencer's “Philosophy of Style” carried the day, and many following decades, with its description of the human mind as a symbol-processing machine, with its description of cognitive and affective dimensions of communication, and with its scientifically considered distillation of the fundamental components of effective style. We should read Spencer's essay and understand its impact not so much because we expect it to teach us new things about good style, but precisely because: 1) it's at the root of some very important concepts now familiar to us; 2) it synthesizes these concepts so impressively; 3) we can use it heuristically as we continue thinking about style; and 4) it provides a compact, accessible touchstone for exploring—with students, clients, and colleagues—the techniques of effective style for scientific and technical communication.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
2004-10-01
DOI
10.2190/d7g5-dkeu-y8a4-uvwu
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Topics
modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism technical communication
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (3)

  1. Hirst (2016)
    Bonding With the Nuclear Industry: A Technical Communication Professor and His …
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  2. Moran et al. (2012)
    A Bibliography of Works Published in the History of Professional Communication …
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  3. Malone (2007)
    Historical Studies of Technical Communication in the United States and England:…
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication

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