On the Frontier of Science: An American Rhetoric of Exploration and Exploitation

by Leah Ceccarelli

“The frontier of science” is a metaphor that has become ubiquitous in American rhetoric, from its first appearance in the public address of early twentieth-century American intellectuals and politicians who aligned a mythic national identity with scientific research, to its more recent use in scientists’ arguments in favor of increased research funding. Here, Leah Ceccarelli explores what is selected and what is deflected when this metaphor is deployed, its effects on those who use it, and what rhetorical moves are made by those who try to counter its appeal. In her research, Ceccarelli discovers that “the frontier of science” evokes a scientist who is typically male, a risk taker, an adventurous loner—someone separated from a public that both envies and distrusts him, with a manifest destiny to penetrate the unknown. It conjures a competitive desire to claim the riches of a new territory before others can do the same. Closely reading the public address of scientists and politicians and the reception of their audiences, this book shows how the frontier of science metaphor constrains American speakers, helping to guide the ends of scientific research in particular ways and sometimes blocking scientists from attaining the very goals they set out to achieve.

218 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2013

About the author

Leah Ceccarelli, Professor, is a rhetorical critic and theorist. Her research focuses on interdisciplinary and public discourse about science. She also explores metacritical issues surrounding rhetorical inquiry as a mode of research. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in American Public Address, Public Debate, Rhetorical Criticism, Classical Rhetoric, and Rhetoric of Science. She directs the UW Science, Technology, and Society Studies Graduate Certificate program. She serves on the editorial boards of Rhetoric & Public Affairs, Quarterly Journal of Speech, Rhetoric Society Quarterly, and Philosophy & Rhetoric, and is Co-Editor of Transdisciplinary Rhetoric (a book series sponsored by the Rhetoric Society of America and Penn State University Press).

Reviews

[Isabel Joyce · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this book for a class I'm taking, Rhetoric of Science. I thought some of the ideas were interesting, but some seemed a bit outdated. It honestly just feels stupid to be reading about the frontier metaphor in this current climate.

[Emmy M · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read but very interesting how such a mythic metaphor can be useful at times and detrimental to others.