Rhetoric, philosophy, and objectivism: An attenuation of the claims of the rhetoric of inquiry

Abstract

Rhetorical theory has for some decades exhibited an increasing tendency toward exploring the relationship between philosophy and rhetoric. The result has been to view a wide range of activities, including science and philosophy, as inherently rhetorical. This essay examines recent attempts by a number of theorists to develop a “rhetoric of the human sciences,” or more generally, a “rhetoric of inquiry.” It is argued that contemporary tendencies to elevate rhetoric at the expense of such traditional notions as scientific objectivity, ontology, and epistemological foundationalism are mistaken. The authors conclude that the new rhetoric of inquiry must be significantly attenuated. The resulting reformulation preserves the roles of traditional philosophy and science, while establishing for rhetoric an important function of discovery in both theoretical inquiry and the realm of communicative praxis.

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