Historical Pragmatics of Controversies

The book gives an introduction to the new research field of Historical Pragmatics of Controversies and provides seven case studies (from 1609 to 1796) on controversies in the fields of astronomy/astrology, medicine, chemistry, philosophy, and theology. The protagonists of these controversies include both famous authors like Kepler, Hobbes and Leibniz and internationally less known authors like the German theologian A.H. Francke and the chemist F.A.C. Gren. The case studies examine the organizing principles of historical controversies, language use, moves and strategies, topic management and text organisation, and the adherence to communication principles in these controversies. At the same time they analyse the use of different text types and media in the course of controversies, including pamphlets, journal articles, reviews, scientific handbooks and letters. In addition, the case studies demonstrate early modern writers’ resources from disputation practice, dialectic, and rhetoric and show developments of the practice of polemical writing during this period.

Art · Astrology · Dialectic · Epistemology · Field (mathematics) · German · Linguistics · Literature · Pragmatics · Rhetoric · Classics · Historical and Linguistic Studies · Historical Linguistics and Language Studies · History · Philosophy · Case studies · history of science and culture · Language and logic · Reasoning

• The pragmatic and rhetorical function of perfect doubling in the work of D. V. Coornhert

  Open Access•Cora van de Poppe, Joanna Wall•Journal of Historical Pragmatics•2023

  Add to list