From Aristotle to IBM: Classical Rhetoric and the Teaching of Technical Writing

Over the past two decades, industry has placed increasing demands on higher education to produce students who can quickly adapt to a variety of writing situations. However, due to the relatively recent birth of technical writing as an academic discipline, technical-writing teachers tend to lack solid foundations on which to build their curricula. In their search for theoretical guidance, many teachers are turning to the classical rhetorical theories of Plato and Aristotle. Typically, teachers are applying Aristotle's notions of invention, arrangement, and style to the teaching of technical writing. Unfortunately, their approach tends to truncate Aristotle's five-canon system by deleting memory and delivery. Such a deletion denies the interactive nature of communication and leads to empty rhetoric. Technical-writing teachers must not only include all five of Aristotle's canons, but also explore Plato' theory of dialectic if they want to adequately equip their students for today' corporate culture.