The role of pathos in the decision‐making process: A study in the rhetoric of science policy

Abstract

Over the course of this century, science and technology policy issues such as the management of hazardous wastes and the protection of endangered species have become increasingly common and important. To respond constructively to such issues, either by petitioning policy makers or by shaping policy themselves, nonscientists must be prepared to interpret, criticize, and synthesize complex scientific and ethical arguments. The experience of the Cambridge Experimentation Review Board suggests that in spite of some cultural bias against pathos, emotional appeals play a vital role in the shaping of science policy decisions. This paper argues that the character of the audience is a key factor in determining whether a given emotional appeal will be considered appropriate; it further argues that a renewed emphasis on rhetorical studies will help to prepare the public for a constructive role in the shaping of science policy.