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Book SynopsisWhy did an atheist like Carl Sagan talk so much about God? Why does NASA climatologist James Hansen plead with us in his recent book not to waste Our Last Chance to Save Humanity? Because science advisors are our new prophets, Lynda Walsh argues in Scientists as Prophets: A Rhetorical Genealogy. She does not claim, as some scholars have, that these public scientists push scientism as a replacement for religion. Rather, she puts forth the provocative argument that prophetic ethos is a flexible type of charismatic authority whose function is to manufacture certainty. Scientists aren''t our only prophets, Walsh contents, but science advisors predictably perform prophetic ethos whenever they need to persuade their publics to take action or fund basic research. Walsh first charts the genealogy of this hybrid scientific-prophetic ethos back to its roots in ancient oracles before exploring its flourishing in 17th century Europe. She then tracks its performances and mutations through several i
Trade ReviewOn contentious issues like climate change and the teaching of evolution in schools, public officials seek out scientific advisers for guidance, oftentimes pulling scientists into the spotlight away from their comfort zones. Some win widespread acclaim for their efforts to shape public policy, while others are denounced as subverters of traditional values. In Scientists as Prophets, Lynda Walsh shows that across history-Francis Bacon, Robert Boyle, Rachel Carson, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Steven Jay Gould, Carl Sagan-scientists who venture into public policy arenas are immersed in the discourse of prophecy. In this ambitious and insightful book, Walsh raises our appreciation of prophecy as a pragmatic and rational genre for experts doing their best to interpret the unknowable. * Davida Charney, Professor of Rhetoric and Writing, The University of Texas at Austin *
Walsh shows that the prophetic function of the science adviser is as old as science itself, not a contemporary add-on. She uses an ingenious adaptation of Kenneth Burke's Pentad to trace its history and to show how the prophetic ethos has shaped contemporary controversies over nuclear security, pesticides, and global warming. The work is deeply informed, engagingly written, and convincingly argued; it enriches our understanding of the rhetoric of science and of the relations between science and the polity. * Carolyn R. Miller, SAS Institute Distinguished Professor of Rhetoric and Technical Communication, North Carolina State University *
This book is interesting, nuanced and stimulating. * Jaume Navarro, British Journal for the History of Science *
Table of ContentsPreface ; Chapter 1-Prelude: Scientists as Prophets and the Rhetoric of Prophecy ; Chapter 2-The Delphic Oracle and Ancient Prophetic Ethos ; Chapter 3-The Natural Magician and the Prophet: Francis Bacon's Ethical Alchemy ; Chapter 4-Confirming Signs: The Prophetic Ethos of the Early Royal Society ; Chapter 5-Interlude: Competing Ethical Models and a Catch-22 ; Chapter 6-J. Robert Oppenheimer: Cultic prophet ; Chapter 7-Rachel Carson, Kairotic Prophet ; Chapter 8-Media, Metaphor, and the <"Oracles of Science>" ; Chapter 9-Climate Change and the Technologies of Prophecy ; Chapter 10-Postlude: Problems and Solutions ; Appendix: Key Reception and Constitution Sources ; Notes ; Selected Bibliography
