A RESPONSE TO PATRICK MOORE'S "QUESTIONING THE MOTIVES OF TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION AND RHETORIC: STEVEN KATZ'S 'ETHIC OF EXPEDIENCY'"

In my 1992 College English article "The Ethic of Expediency: Classical Rhetoric, Technology, and the Holocaust" [1], I looked at the implications of a Nazi memo whose sole purpose was to improve the efficiency of the gassing vans, in order to begin to try to understand and discuss the nega...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of technical writing and communication 2006-01, Vol.36 (1), p.1
Main Author: Katz, Steven B
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
College English
Communication (Thought Transfer)
Efficiency
Ethics
Holocaust
Nazi era
Rhetoric
Technical communication
Technical Writing
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Summary:In my 1992 College English article "The Ethic of Expediency: Classical Rhetoric, Technology, and the Holocaust" [1], I looked at the implications of a Nazi memo whose sole purpose was to improve the efficiency of the gassing vans, in order to begin to try to understand and discuss the negative uses and ethical abuses to which technical communication, and deliberative rhetoric generally, could be taken by the powerful and unscrupulous. In "Questioning the Motives of Technical Communication and Rhetoric: Steven Katz's 'Ethic of Expediency'" [2], Patrick Moore accuses me of ignoring alternate translations, citing out of context, and focusing on the negative meaning of words to make my case. The point at issue in these charges, I believe, is whether (and to what degree) Aristotle meant to base deliberative discourse on "expediency." I will take each of these charges up one at a time to explore them more thoroughly, discuss their interrelations, and then conclude with a few observations of my own. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
ISSN:0047-2816
1541-3780