Defining Reality: Definitions and the Politics of Meaning (Rhetorical Philosophy & Theory) - Softcover

Schiappa, Edward

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0809325012 ISBN 13: 9780809325016

Publisher: Southern Illinois University Press, 2003

Synopsis

In Defining Reality, Edward Schiappa argues that definitional disputes should be treated less as philosophical questions of “is”and more as sociopolitical questions of “ought.” Instead of asking “What is X?” he advocates that definitions be considered as proposals for shared knowledge and institutional norms, as in “What should count as X in context Y, given our needs and interests?”

Covering a broad scope of argument in rhetorical theory, as well as in legal, medical, scientific, and environmental debates, Schiappa shows the act of defining to be a specialized and learned behavior, and therefore one that can be studied and improved. In response to theories that deem discourse to be persuasive, the author asserts that all discourse is definitive discourse that contributes to our construction of a shared reality.

Defining Reality sheds light on our methods of creating common truths through language and argumentation and forces us to reconsider the contexts, limitations, and adaptability of our definitions. Hinging on a synthesis of arguments regarding the significance of definitional practices, the book is bolstered by a series of case studies of debates about rape, euthanasia, abortion, and political and environmental issues. These case studies ground Schiappa’s concepts in reality and delineate the power of public discourse within legal contexts. Ranging widely among disciplines from philosophy and classical philology to constitutional law and cognitive psychology, this study substantially contributes to the scholarship of rhetoric and argumentation, particularly as they function in the realm of public discourse.

About this title

About the Author:

Edward Schiappa is the Paul W. Frenzel Chair of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota and a professor and the director of graduate studies in the Department of Communications Studies. A past editor of the journal Argumentation and Advocacy, he is the author of Protagoras and Logos: A Study in Greek Philosophy and Rhetoric and The Beginnings of Greek Rhetorical Theory.

Review:

“In a thorough and well-written book, Edward Schiappa shows that many arguments, particularly in law, are really about how concepts are defined.”

―Erwin Chemerinsky, University of Southern California

About this edition

• Publisher: Southern Illinois University Press
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0809325012
• ISBN 13: 9780809325016
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 232