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Ethical Limitations On The State's Use Of Arational Persuasion, Nadia N. Sawicki
Ethical Limitations On The State's Use Of Arational Persuasion, Nadia N. Sawicki
Faculty Publications & Other Works
Policymakers frequently use arational appeals – such as those relying on emotion, cognitive biases, and subliminal messaging – to persuade citizens to adopt behaviors that support public goals. However, these communication tactics have been widely criticized for relying on arational triggers, rather than reasoned argument. This Article develops a fuller account of the non-consequentialist objections to arational persuasion by state actors, as well as the arguments in favor of such tactics, that have been presented by scholars of rhetoric, political theory, and cognitive science. The Article concludes by proposing ethically justifiable limitations on state communications that should be compelling to …
Old-School Rhetoric And New-School Cognitive Science: The Enduring Power Of Logocentric Categories, Lucille Jewel
Old-School Rhetoric And New-School Cognitive Science: The Enduring Power Of Logocentric Categories, Lucille Jewel
College of Law Faculty Scholarship
For thousands of years, the contours of Western legal argument have remained unchanged. Since the time of the ancient Greeks, lawyers have been presenting arguments in the same basic format, with a heavy reliance on the concept of logos, the idea that arguments are most persuasive when presented in a clear deductive logical structure using clean-cut categories. Forming the basis for the terms that appear in logocentric legal arguments, categories allow humans to group facts and information together into classes. For instance, chairs, tables, and beds occupy the category of furniture and cars; trucks, and motorcycles occupy the category of …