Abstract
This dissertation employs philology and cultural analysis to reassess longstanding notions in rhetorical theory and moral philosophy (via classical rhetoric and technical communication). In particular, I use diachronic analyses of the terms telos, symbouleutikon, and sympheron (from Aristotle to present) as a theoretical springboard to reassess more contemporary issues in rhetoric and technical communication. The technical communication topics this dissertation covers include criticisms of expediency as a motive in technical communication; the changing landscape of instruction manual composition; the role of purpose-completion and stakeholder awareness in visual rhetoric; and the futility of advancing ideology-free technical writing pedagogies. More theoretical topics this dissertation covers include Kenneth Burke's notions of rhetorical "war" and entelechy; the pluralistic underpinnings of Kantian moral philosophy; and the rhetorical utility of democratic inefficiency.
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
English
Committee Chair
Thomas Rickert
Date of Award
Fall 2013
Recommended Citation
McKay, Ethan Sproat, "Inexorable Burden: Rhetoric and Togetherness" (2013). Open Access Dissertations. 54.
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/open_access_dissertations/54
First Advisor
Thomas Rickert
Committee Member 1
Jennifer Bay
Committee Member 2
Richard Johnson- Sheehan
Committee Member 3
Patricia Sullivan