Galilean rhetoric and practical theory¹

The author thanks Walter Fisher, Herbert Simons, and Arthur Bochner for their helpful comments.

Abstract

Bold claims have been made for the practical usefulness of Galileo Theory as well as its potential to become an explanatory theory of human communication with scope and precision comparable to the fundamental theories of physics. This essay concludes that the arguments that have been offered to support those claims are weak, not only because the empirical evidence on which they are based is weak, but because the philosophy that warrants the relevance of the evidence is incoherent. The theory is not, however, without value. It makes useful technical contributions to communication science, and it suggests a “practical” notion of theory which, properly understood, would have profound implications for a discipline of communication.

Notes

The author thanks Walter Fisher, Herbert Simons, and Arthur Bochner for their helpful comments.