Rational Rhetoric: The Role of Science in Popular Discourse

Abstract

David J. Tietge *Winner of JAC's Gary A. Olson Award for most outstanding book in rhetorical and cultural theory. - 5/27/2010. Rhetoric of Science and Technology Edited by Alan Gross Information and Pricing 978-1-60235-069-4 (paperback, $32); 978-1-60235-070-0 (hardcover, $65); 978-1-60235-071-7 (PDF, $19.99). © 2008 by Parlor Press. 472 pages with notes, illustrations,, bibliography, and index. Bookstores : Order by fax, mail, or phone. See our "Sales and Ordering Page" for details. About This Book Rational Rhetoric: The Role of Science in Popular Discourse places popular representations of science and scientific discourse under the terministic lenses of rhetorical theory, cultural studies, and language theory. David J. Tietge ranges broadly and insightfully across a wide range of scientific discourse and ideology as it is reconfigured for general consumption, in popular science writing (from Carl Sagan to Stephen Hawking and Stephen J. Gould), magazines (from Scientific American to Time and Social Text ), news media (from CNN to The Discovery Channel), the public controversies over evolution, creationism, and intelligent design, and even pop psychology ( Oprah , The Dr. Phil Show ). The result is a tour de force reconceptualization of the enormous impact that our understanding (and misunderstanding) of science has on modern consciousness and, in turn, many of the most important issues confronting American society in an era of global warming, wars on science, and other inconvenient truths. What people are saying about Rational Rhetoric . . . Rational Rhetoric: the Role of Science in Popular Discourse is complex and complete, reasonable and readable.  It doesn’t say to readers, "here’s yet another cultural debate in which you have a stake"; instead, Rational Rhetoric argues, "here’s a debate that’s going on in American culture that matters to all of us, and you’re already sitting at the table taking part." —Shane Borrowman, University of Nevada, Re