Rhetoric in the economy: consumption and audience

Abstract

Consumption is rhetorical. The argument is based on an analogy between discourse in economics and the actual economy. Any chosen bundle of consumption makes a statement. The understanding of the statement requires a rhetorical inquiry into the speaker, audience, and speech situation (e.g., history, language). To understand consumption behavior, I propose to shift attention away from the logic of choice and focus instead on the rhetoric of choice (which includes the logic of choice as a part).