Narrative Rationality Research Articles

Narrative rationality and the logic of scientific discourse

This essay argues that scientific discourse is amenable to interpretation and assessment from the perspective of the narrative paradigm and its attendant logic, narrative rationality. It also contends that this logic entails a revised conception of knowledge, one that permits the possibility of wisdom. The text analyzed is James D. Watson and Francis H. Crick's proposal of the double helix model of DNA.

Narrative rationality and “first stories”: Pedagogical implications for children's television

This essay explores the implications of the inter‐relationships that exist among the narrative paradigm, children's television, media deregulation, epistemology, and education. Particular attention is paid to the concept of narrative fidelity and the impact of television's “first stories” upon the evolution of that concept in children. Specific implications and recommendations for the preschool and early primary grades are addressed.

On limiting the narrative paradigm: Three case studies

While narrative is studied in any number of fields as a form of discourse, only in communication studies has it been claimed that all forms of discourse can be viewed as types of narrative. One way of testing such an all‐encompassing interpretation of narrative is to apply the assumptions of the narrative paradigm to works that traditionalists would not consider to be stories. This essay applies the principles of narrative probability and fidelity to three works—a book attacking religious fundamentalism, a short film attacking Pat Robertson and an allegorical science fiction novel that retells the story of Job—in order to test the paradigm. If all rhetoric can be understood through the narrative paradigm, then the paradigm should be equally applicable to all three works. The analysis of the works, however, reveals that narrative approaches are of little use when applied to discourse that does not tell a story. Additionally, the standards for narrative rationality are difficult to apply and inapplicable to...

Narrative: Mode of discourse or paradigm?

This essay critically analyzes the recent work of Walter. Fisher on the “narrative paradigm.”; While Fisher's work has undeniable value, the implications of it have not been completely considered. This essay proposes three limitations on the narrative paradigm. First, Fisher's definition of narrative is too broad, encompassing nearly all discourse. Using Fisher's example of The Fate of the Earth, a case is built for the claim that a more limited definition of narrative is needed. Second, the view that there is an independent standard of narrative rationality that can be distinguished from the “rational world paradigm”; is considered and rejected. Finally, the claim that the proper role of the expert in the public sphere is that of story teller is also considered and rejected.

Technical logic, rhetorical logic, and narrative rationality

Technical logic, rhetorical logic, and narrative rationality

Authority and legitimacy: A rhetorical case study of the Iranian revolution

The argument of this essay is that the legitimacy crisis in Iran in 1978/79 arose from the contrasting views of authority espoused by the Shah and the Ayatollah over a period of 25 years. These views are expressed in their rhetoric as the two impulses of the Progressive and the Traditionalist orientation of authority. The Pahlavi dynasty is an example of State‐Authority, or the Progressive impulse, while the Islamic revolution is an example of the opposite impulse, Traditionalism, which brought in a People‐Authority with its narrative rationality. Each regime becomes an integral dimension of Iran's search for images of national strength. The critical perspective employed in this study may be useful in the analysis of various rhetorical processes, both Western and non‐ Western.