Jeanne Fahnestock’s Accommodating Science: The Rhetorical Life of Scientific Facts (1998) is a comparative study which describes the changes in genre and information that take place when accommodating scientific texts to lay audiences. Fahnestock identifies three main ideas that affect the changes of genre and information, they are: The change of genre between the original text and a public article, changes in information when a larger audience is addressed and lastly the usefulness of classical stasis theory when explaining scientific texts.…
She comes to understand that it is with our daily lives that we begin to find ourselves and realize that our words not only the text matter. One has to give their own authority and their own standpoint to make their point argumentative. Through personal life, methods of teaching and college experience does Sommers truly notice the change between her own authority and textual information. It is within us that truly makes a paper what it is. Our own authority should be our judgment. Between the drafts makes one comprehend what really happens between 2 papers. Drafts not only have to be papers but they can pertain to our own lives as well. Arguments begin with our own voices. Either the risk one takes or the risk they do not. It is with much evidence and disdain that Sommers truly presents her argument. One is lost between the words of the paper to make it seem less effective. Sommers uses effective writing techniques’ and much revision to make her thesis…
During a passage from the Great Influenza, author John M. Barry discusses the qualifications a scientific researcher must yield in order to be efficient to the field and perform intelligent guesswork. Appealing to inspiring scientists, Barry insists that they have to “manipulate and even force experiments to yield and answer.” Without the ability to work with uncertainty, no work done will be enough to illuminate the subject. Through juxtaposition uncertainty and certainty in this professional field, Barry showcases the classifications of scientists with analogies and metaphors in a catalogue form. Barry begins by promptly identifying the counter argument; how uncertainty is a weakness for a scientist.…
In the article “Accommodating Science: The Rhetorical Life of Scientific Facts” Jeanne Fahnestock (1998) examines what happens to scientific research when it is translated to appeal to a wider audience. In order to assess what happens to this research, Fahnestock compares “paired communications” (332) – the original research paper and a version that has been interpreted for a wider audience. The evidence these comparisons reveal suggests that facts tend to change in three different ways when translated for a wider audience – through “genre shift”, “statement types” and “stasis theory” (Fahnestock 332).…
Barry presents rhetorical strategies as a means to characterize scientific research. He thinks that being a “scientist requires not only intelligence and curiosity, but passion, patience, creativity, self-sufficiency, and courage.” Scientific research can be courageous and dangerous. In science, people tend to doubt scientists because their discoveries it seems unreal. Even scientists such as Einstein probably doubted his own theory until his predictions were tested.…
More often than not, experts intentionally form opinions that differ from one another in order to form critical pluralism. The reasoning behind this is the belief which best…
In a response to sixth-grader Phyllis Wright’s inquiry about prayers in scientists’ lives, Albert Einstein employs rhetorical appeals to character and reason in order to encourage thought from her but ultimately answers her question insufficiently. Since it is already understood that Einstein is the writer, he does not need to establish his credibility. However, he does take advantage his reputation to make broad, encompassing statements about scientists that few others could. For example, an amateur scientist would only be able to represent himself, but Einstein can accurately portray the scientific community by using first person pronouns like “our” and “we” and making generalizing statements about “everyone who is involved in science.” Not…
Guided Response: Review several of your classmates’ posts. Respond substantively to two peers whose perspective was different from yours. Describe one strength and one weakness of your peer’s interpretation. How is it possible, when referring to scientific methods, for the interpretation of these methods to be so varied?…
The Scientific Revolution soon prospered.It was characterized around the emergence of new ideas and principles.Inevitably it ushered our way of thinking and seeing the world.The scietnfic method was established and humanity uses it practically everyday even in subjects that aren’t scientific.Mathematical and instrumental tools were at their disposal and intellects were capable of unlocking secrets of nature.This later led to several technologies.Amongst these advancements the most notable innovators were Galileo,Bohr,and Marquis De Saude.Science plays a fundamental part to understanding the world around us now.The Enlightenment also caused a cultural movement for politics and government.Reasoning and rationalism was composed as people understood…
Evaluating aspects from a scientific perspective is not limited to only people who are pursuing science as a career or major. Atul Gawande, respected surgeon and author, understands this concept well and works to encourage the public to trust in testing a hypothesis no matter how profound. Through utilizing the strategies of incorporating personal experience, rhetorical questions, and a motivational tone, Gawande’s article, The Mistrust of Science, pushes readers to face challenges without a doubt.…
Common Public Goals, one of the six characteristics for a discourse community, are the goals or purposes that the discourse community strives to accomplish and uses communication to fulfill those purposes. They provide an outline for public goals that members who agree might join the community and express their opinions on those ideals and goals. As a professor of Astronomy at Sacramento State, Dr. Taylor’s goal is to have students like science; he believes that the sciences are under appreciated and would like to spread his knowledge and interest to his classes through his lectures. He hopes that the enthusiasm he displays in classes will spark enthusiasm in students as well and get them to pursue careers in the fields of sciences. Researchers…
Gold begins his essay right away, without any sort of formality. The essay begins with Gold laying a foundation for the requirements of “good science.” After which Gold spells out the requirements of articles to sell large volumes of newspapers. This latter generates the term anecdotes. The term anecdote is analyzed, scrutinized and concluded as unacceptable due to the evidence relying more on beliefs than facts. Thus creating a vicious circle.…
“People are born, or taken involuntarily by their families and culture, into some communities of practice” (Johns 501). However, an academic discourse community is chosen; members are affiliated with different discourse communities based on their interests or what identifies them the most. Furthermore, John Swales in his article “Concept of Discourse Community,” defines a discourse community as a group of people that interchange, share public goals, and use communication to achieve these goals (220). However, according to Swales, a group needs to meet six criteria in order to be a discourse community, including a set of shared goals, ways of communication within and without the discourse community, the participation of its members, a specific lexis, and members of expertise (220-222). This context is exemplified in the Environmental Science community, which is a group of activists, researchers, professors and other professionals in this field that seeks to ensure environmental sustainability and human…
The public’s attitude towards science is something that is least talked about in our society. Even in schools, teaching students about how scientists communicate with the public is given the least importance. As a result, I think most people who are involved in science disciplines are not sure how to respond when they come across this question.…
Figures of authority are extraordinarily significant to the credibility within any paper. Including citation from members of society with an advanced skill set will not only solidify proposed ideas, but can also aid in swaying an argument (Ballenger, 17). Valid credibility can go a long way in improving the impact a piece makes on its reader.…