Points of Praxis

My Blog Reflects on Visual Rhetorical Theory and Disability Rhetoric and their Connections to Classical and Contemporary Rhetorical Theory

Kenneth Burke's A Grammar of Motives

"grammar"--system for understanding how humans use motive and are motivated by motives to act

Dramatism

• Act--What was done?
• Scene--Where and when was it done?
• Agent--Who did it?
• Agency--How was it done?
• Purpose--Why was it done?

Intersection of these elements--"Human Barnyard."  All of these overlap and intersect.  Emphasis on pragmatism. 

Dramatism:  A key metaphor as an account for motives such that language and thought are treated as modes of action. 

• Communication actions are motivated.
  
• Motives are the factors which give meaning to motion--actions arise from motives. 
  
• Systems of motives serve as terministic screens: they are linguistic products which provide patterns for interpreting life's activities.
• Why? Because of the logologic of man's symbolic resources
  • If order, then guilt; if guilt, then the need for redemption; but any such 'payment' is victimage, feeding back into the cycle.
  • If action, then drama, then conflict; if conflict then victimage, and feeding back.

• Why?  Because of the definition of man

Definition of human:  symbol using (making, misusing) animal who invented the negative (morals) and is separated from the natural condition by instrument of own making.  Humans are goaded by the spirit of order and hierarchy and are rotten w/ perfection.

(Bulleted list and definition of human from "Introduction to Kenneth Burke")

Intrinsic/extrinsic--know what something is by knowing what it is not.  Know what is something is intrinsically within (substance, core of it) by knowing what is extrinsically outside of it.  Burke refers to Locke's "substances" as an example (know the substance of ideas by knowing their outside, external features).  Intrinsic/Extrinsic contained w/in context.  Define or determine boundaries thru contextual reference.

Also, know what it is through "familial" "unambiguity." 

"All gods are 'substances,' and as such are names for motives or combinations of motives."

"The ambiguity of substance affords, as one might expect, a major resource of rhetoric."  (Reminded here of Richard's definition of rhetoric as the study of misunderstandings and their remedies.)

"Men seek for vocabularies that will be faithful reflections of reality.  To this end, they must develop vocabularies that are selections of reality.  And any selection of reality must, in certain circumstances, function as a deflection of reality."

Reduction of the world into words.

Intersubjectivity replaces subjectivity and objectivity.

symbolic construction of social reality.

Booth might agree w/ this statement:  "At a time when the liars, the stupid, and the greedy seem too greatly in control of a society's policies, philosophies of materialistic reduction may bring us much solace in reminding us that the very nature of the materials out of which a civilization is constructed, or in which it is grounded, will not permit such perfection of lies, stupidity, and greed to prevail as some men might cause to prevail if they could have their way."

Universe is structure of ideas--interrelated by reason of their common grounding in the mind of God.

Money as substitute for God.  Money--not a mere agency.  But, motivation for act.

Dialectic of the Scapegoat.

Humanism--able to understand and cognition therefore have knowledge of universe however our knowledge is limited to the capacity of human understanding.

A Rhetoric of Motives

book centers on identification and persuasion. 

Burke--persuasion based on Identification.  More broad than rhetoric as just persuasion.  Audience centered. 

Identification and "Consubstantiality"

"A is not identical with his colleague, B. But insofar as their interests are joined, A is identified w/ B."

"Identification is [...] to confront the implications of division."  "Disease of cooperation:  war."

"Identification is compensatory to division."  "Pure identification there would be no strife."  "body of identifications."  Identification relies on the symbolic.  "Belonging" is rhetorical.

"autonomy of science" --similar to Vico's theories on perceived dominance of science.   Science to justify suffering.  Technology neutral-- however, humans deem it good or bad based on pragmatics and productivity--which in turn is used to justify morality.  cunning identification (politician).

Rhetoric as socializing and moralizing. rhetorical language is inducement to action. induce action in people. function of $ and religion--to move the masses.

Def of rhetoric:  "rhetoric is rooted in the essential function of language itself [...]:  the use of language as a symbolic means of inducing cooperation in beings that by nature respond to symbols."

Rhetoric based on pragmatics and function. identification contributes to social cohesion.

2 main aspects of rhetoric:  "use of identification and its nature as addressed.  Since identification implies division, we found rhetoric involving us in matters of socialization and faction."

Use of rhetoric to gain advantage.  Q. rhetoric useful and a virtue.  Rhetoric pragmatic and moral.

Similar to Bakhtin's chronotope:  "an act of persuasion is affected by the character of the scene in which it takes place and of the agents to whom it is addressed."

"'persuasion' in turn involves communication by the signs of consubstantiality, the appeal of identification."

brings together ideology and identification. identification through symbolic (film as ultimate in symbolic imagery).

Beginning of human.  Economics make distinctions b/t classes. rhetoric serves to affirm identifications and divisions. back to economics again.  Symbolic (literature, art, film) means of reinforcing divisions and identification.

Mythic ground and context of situation:  "order to which images transcend sensory images." "mythic images would in turn transcend ideas." "moral and intellectual development" [similar to Vico's stages of human civilization and development]

posted by: rgregory at 16:21 | link | comments |

Template by motime.com  |  header image credit: Markus Gann © www.begann.de