A rethoric of science - inventing scientific discourse

Part of a series in Studies in Rhetoric and Communication, this book casts a fresh light on the process by which scientific claims are validated. If scientists cannot justify their claims in positivistic terms, how can a scientific claim be legitimatized? Introduction. -- The Importance Of Rhetorical Invention. Part 1: Rhetorical Invention. The Nature Of Rhetoric -- Rhetoric Is The Suasory Use Of Symbols -- Rhetoric Is Situational Discourse -- Rhetoric Is Addressed Discourse -- Rhetoric Is Reasonable Discourse -- Rhetoric Is Invented Discourse. Rhetorical Purposes -- Physchological Approaches To Rhetorical Purpose -- Situational Approaches To Rhetorical Purpose -- A General Theory Of Rhetorical Ends. Deciding What The Issue Is -- What Is Stasis? -- Why A Stasis Procedure? -- Where Can The Stasis Procedure Be Applied? -- How Does Stasis Procedure Operate? -- Conclusion. Rhetorical Topical Method. -- General Features Of Topical Method -- General And Special Topoi -- Field-dependant Topoi. Part 2: Rhetorical Invention In Science. Rhetorical Dimensions In Scientific Discourse. -- Scientific Discourse Is Symbolic Inducement -- Scientific Discourse Is Situational Discourse -- Scientific Discourse Is Addressed Discourse -- Scientific Discourse Is Reasonable Discourse -- Scientific Discourse Is Invented Discourse -- Rhetorical Invention In Scientific Discourse: Determining Rhetorical Ends. -- The Reasonable As A Scientific End -- The Topoi Of Scientific Reasonableness -- The Case Of The Parapsychologists. The Education Of The Kok. Conclusion. -- Rhetorical Invention In Scientific Discourse: Deciding What The Issues Are. Stasis Procedures For Scientific Discourse -- Stasis Analysis: An Episode From The Memory-transfer Controversy. Conclusion. -- Rhetorical Invention In Scientific Discourse: Discovering Lines Of Argument. -- Problem-solution Topoi -- Evaluative Topoi -- Exemplary Topoi. Conclusion. -- Practicing Rhetorical Invention: Creating Scientifically Reasonable Claims. -- Creationism And The Rhetoric Of Science -- The Double Helix And The Rhetoric Of Science -- Conclusion. By Lawrence J. Prelli. Includes Index. Bibliography: P.269-311. Prelli (communication, U. of New Hampshire at Durham) looks at the special problems and values governing the communicative practices of scientists. He demonstrated that when scientists address their claims to other scientists, they create a special kind of rhetoric with rules that distinguish "scientific" discourse from other discourse, and allow claims to be judged as "scientific" or not. He examines the design of scientific arguments, and the grounds on which they persuade and are evaluated as peculiarly scientific claims. For scholars in communications and philosophy of science. Acidic paper. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or. If scientists are unable to justify their claims in positivistic terms, how can these claims be legitimatized? This text looks at the special problems and values governing the communicative practices of scientists.