Simplifying Complexity: Rhetoric and the Social Politics of Dealing with Ignorance

George E. Yoos

Book Open Access

Simplifying Complexity

Rhetoric and the Social Politics of Dealing with Ignorance

Language: English

Published/Copyright: 2015

Published by

Become an author with De Gruyter Brill

Explore this Subject How to publish with us

About this book

Simplifying complexity explores how to eliminate ignorance, which in the view of the author, is the purpose of the sciences and technologies and their consequent developments. More specifically, the book deals with the plurality of the sciences and technologies. It is about the way in which each of them develops around the prosthetics of printed languages and the models used as visual aids to help us create new modes of communication to understand and solve human problems. Consequently, the task is to simplify the complexity that we find in different sciences, both social and physical. In his collection of essays, George E. Yoos surveys a number of different models that have evolved from the innate, biological forms of grammar, logic, and modes of orientation. He investigates the evolution of socially constructed systems of numeracy and measurement that have evolved and developed in different languages for the use in scientific and technological communication. He identifies methods derived from three distinct personal experiences: the use of types of prosthetic, mnemonic, and attention controlling devices, in order to yield simpler perspectives of complex states of affairs. George E. Yoos, emeritus professor, is a legend in the field of rhetoric. Founder and editor of the Rhetoric Society Quarterly [1972-1985], author of Reframing Rhetoric [2007], Politics and Rhetoric [2009], and fellow of the Rhetoric Society of America.

ignorance, sciences and technologies, rhetoric

Author / Editor information

George E. Yoos, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Philosophy at St. Cloud State University, USA

Topics

Publicly Available

Frontmatter
I

Download PDF
Publicly Available

Contents
VII

Download PDF
Publicly Available

A Preface on Aims
VIII

Download PDF
Publicly Available

1 Rhetorical limitations in the use of frames and perspectives
1

Download PDF
Publicly Available

2 Aging and complexity
6

Download PDF
Publicly Available

3 The human animal and its ascendance from ignorance
12

Download PDF
Publicly Available

4 The work of Herbert Simon on Artificial Intelligence
25

Download PDF
Publicly Available

5 Circular thinking and linear exposition Circling around a point to discover the point
29

Download PDF
Publicly Available

6 Modern and postmodern thinking: rational and interpretive thinking
37

Download PDF
Publicly Available

7 Use of different types of graphic display to interpret meaning
44

Download PDF
Publicly Available

8 Stasis, observation, and facts
52

Download PDF
Publicly Available

9 The apparent realism of naïve realism How really naïve is naïve realism?
62

Download PDF
Publicly Available

10 Various types of modeling used for finding correlations, designing structures, discovering contrasts, and making comparisons
73

Download PDF
Publicly Available

11 A sense of place as fundamental to our thinking about models about equilibriums
84

Download PDF
Publicly Available

12 Fenced-off and fenced-in equilibriums: Outside and inside boundaries and fences
98

Download PDF
Publicly Available

13 The rhetoric and politics of standardization: Measurements and needs for precision
110

Download PDF
Publicly Available

14 Simple-minded simplicity of simples
130

Download PDF
Publicly Available

15 Rhetorical Unity in Narrative and Exposition
141

Download PDF
Publicly Available

16 Boolean algebra, Tűring machines, and the Sheffer stroke function
147

Download PDF
Publicly Available

Appendix
161

Download PDF
Publicly Available

Bibliography
165

Download PDF
Publicly Available

List of Figures
173

Download PDF
Publicly Available

List of Tables
174

Download PDF
Publicly Available

Index
175

Download PDF

Publishing information

Pages and Images/Illustrations in book

eBook published on:

January 29, 2016

eBook ISBN:

9783110450576

Hardcover published on:

January 29, 2016

Hardcover ISBN:

9783110450569

Pages and Images/Illustrations in book

Main content:

178

Illustrations:

18

Tables:

9

https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110450576

eBook ISBN: 9783110450576

Hardcover ISBN: 9783110450569

Keywords for this book

rhetoric; sciences and technologies; knowledge; ignorance; frames; models

Audience(s) for this book

Communication theorists, Rhetoricians, Scholars of philosophy

Creative Commons

BY-NC-ND 3.0

Safety & product resources

Manufacturer information:: Walter de Gruyter GmbH
Genthiner Straße 13
10785 Berlin; productsafety@degruyterbrill.com

Simplifying Complexity

Overview

About this book

Author / Editor information

Topics

Table of contents

Frontmatter

Contents

A Preface on Aims

1 Rhetorical limitations in the use of frames and perspectives

2 Aging and complexity

3 The human animal and its ascendance from ignorance

4 The work of Herbert Simon on Artificial Intelligence

5 Circular thinking and linear exposition Circling around a point to discover the point

6 Modern and postmodern thinking: rational and interpretive thinking

7 Use of different types of graphic display to interpret meaning

8 Stasis, observation, and facts

9 The apparent realism of naïve realism How really naïve is naïve realism?

10 Various types of modeling used for finding correlations, designing structures, discovering contrasts, and making comparisons

11 A sense of place as fundamental to our thinking about models about equilibriums

12 Fenced-off and fenced-in equilibriums: Outside and inside boundaries and fences

13 The rhetoric and politics of standardization: Measurements and needs for precision

14 Simple-minded simplicity of simples

15 Rhetorical Unity in Narrative and Exposition

16 Boolean algebra, Tűring machines, and the Sheffer stroke function

Appendix

Bibliography

List of Figures

List of Tables

Index

Bibliographic data