Revisioning Sixteenth Century Solutions to Twentieth Century Problems in Herbert Hoover's Translation of Agricola's <i>De Re Metallica</i>

Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Jul 1993

Revisioning Sixteenth Century Solutions to Twentieth Century Problems in Herbert Hoover's Translation of Agricola's <i>De Re Metallica</i>

Beverly A. Sauer University of Maine

Abstract

This article analyzes Herbert C. Hoover's translation of the De Re Metallica (1956) in the context of the 1922 Mine Strikes. The De Re Metallica combines practical instruction in mining techniques with a philosophical justification of the practice of mining. In Book I of the De Re Metallica, Agricola consciously constructs a rationalized science of metallurgy and mineralogy to enable expert miners to profit in a risky enterprise. Analysis of the text thus reveals that Hoover's interest in Agricola's “intellectual achievements” may have been more than technical. The economical and political assumptions that drive Agricola's arguments—justification of mining as a profit-making enterprise, his notions that accidents occur because workers are careless, and his rhetorical use of the notion of scientific expertise—framed many of the early twentieth century debates between mine operators and union organizers. In revisioning Agricola's arguments in the context of Hoover's own Principles of Mining and his statements in the 1922 Mine Crisis, this article demonstrates how technical documents reflect the political ideologies of their writers and how political arguments presented as purely technical debates shape the uses and construction of future technologies.

Journal: Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published: 1993-07-01
DOI: 10.2190/a74f-jd7q-m01j-b6nr
Open Access: Closed
Topics: multilingual writers revision

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (2)

Todd (2003)

Teaching the History of Technical Communication: A Lesson with Franklin and Hoover

Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
HAGGE (1995)

Early Engineering Writing Textbooks and the Anthropological Complexity of Disci…

Written Communication

Cites in this index (3)

SAUER (1993)

Sense and Sensibility in Technical Documentation

Journal of Business and Technical Communication
DOMBROWSKI (1992)

A Comment on “The Construction of Knowledge in Organizations: Asking the Right …

Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Winsor (1990)

The Construction of Knowledge in Organizations: Asking the Right Questions abou…

Journal of Business and Technical Communication

Also cites 6 works outside this index ↓

Hoover H. in Agricola G., De Re Metallica (1556), Hoover H. and Hoover L. H. (trans.), New York, Dover, p. ii…

↗
10.1177/016224398901400104

↗
10.1109/47.108666

↗
10.7591/9781501735738

↗
10.2190/NETC11

↗
Sauer Beverly, “The Engineer as Rational Man: The Problem of Imminent Danger in a Non-Rational Environment,” …

↗

CrossRef global citation count: 3 View in citation network →