"Some in their discourse desire rather 
communication of wit, in being able to hold all
arguments, than of judgment, in discerning what
is true; as if it were a praise to know what might 
be said and what should be thought."
                                      Francis Bacon: Of Discourse
Introduction

Definitions

Papers

Links

Bibliography

Introduction
Loved by many (especially Liberal Art majors), the aphorism that holds the “pen” in higher esteem than the sword augments, though somewhat tacitly, the desire for power.  The “pen,” as the saying implies, can motivate certain cultural relationships, which by doing so, devalues others.  The “pen” has been responsible for the most deaths, the most misery, and yet the most happiness--just to name a few.  It is responsible for the way that we see the world.  The “pen” is none other than discourse.

The theses nailed upon the doors of England's Church, Marx’s disgust with the unfairness of the capitalistic system, and Einstein’s physical equations have common origins: the search for truth which was to them amiss in their respective epochs.  Finalized by the stoke of their pens (i.e., their discourses), we are embodied in a society constructed by their searches.  Why?  Because their findings have touched us, have influenced us, and have given us a place to rest our weary heads.

This casebook is an attempt to bring to the fore, through a genealogy of rhetorical customs, what empowers discourse and who can tap into this outlet.  Can paradoxical fictionists? Can philosophers well versed in argumentative logistics?  Can technologically inept specialists?  Each group member has developed an essay to support his or her claims to purposively create an agonistic structure; for truth is a battle that is in perpetual motion via discourse.

Our casebook is not only anchored in the abstruse realm of discourse theory, it concerns itself with the practice of such methods.  Each essay has done field research in hopes to support, discredit, or augment its theoretical findings.  Rhetorical methodology is sought for in areas that are of great importance, those being religion, academics, and technology.

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Definitions
Dictionary:
Discourse:
1 : the capacity of orderly thought or procedure : RATIONALITY
2 : verbal interchange of ideas; especially : CONVERSATION
3 : a : formal and orderly and usually extended expression of thought on a subject
     b : connected speech or writing
     c : a linguistic unit (as a conversation or a story) larger than a sentence

Truth:
1 : the body of real things, events, and facts : ACTUALITY
2 : a : often capitalized : a transcendent fundamental or spiritual reality
     b : a judgment, proposition, or idea that is true or accepted as true
     c : the body of true statements and propositions

Paper Defined:
(The Search For Truth via Instruction)
Language:
     An all-encompasing phenomena that we can never completely master.
Discourse:
     Signifies that two participants are having an oral response with each other about a weighty topic.

Rhetoric:
     Discourse constructed as a means to persuade.

Eristics:
     The Sophistic ideology which emphasizes the use of rhetorical tricks.

Agonistics:
     Struggle among competing social ideologies.  Often used in post-modern terminology.

(Can Truth Be Found In Fiction?)
Fiction:
    Any literary work which does not portray a real event exactly how it transpired.

(Can Technology Aid Discourse In The Search For Truth?)
Technology:
Computers, E-mail, Listserves, Newsgroups, Chatrooms
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Papers
The Search For Truth Via Instruction
                                        By Matt McKinney
   This essay attempts to show how the Sophistic/Socratic-Platonic dichotomy is still much alive in the post-modern college classroom, not to merely show the ahistoricallity of Ancient Philosophy, but to show that education has continued to be an area where instructive discourse acknowledges the fact that it shapes the world that we live, and becomes for listeners and readers an Easter-egg-hunt for truth.

Can Truth Be Found In Fiction?
                                        By Amy Fijalkiewicz
Can fiction be used to access truth?  Fiction has been doing exactly that for over 2000 years, since before Jesus Christ, Plato and Aristotle.  By observing the process in which we write fiction and the purpose it serves, we can draw the conclusion that fiction can and is used as a tool to access truth in the real world.

Can Technology Aid Discourse In The Search For Truth?
                                         By Jeff Pietruszynski
Through the ages, The quest for knowledge through logical discourse has taken on many different faces.  This search began in one to one discussions, slowing moving to larger audiences.  When we introduce current technology into the quest, the audience again grows, this time, exponentially, with the promise of even larger discussions in the future.  I will show exactly how today’s scholars in their search for the truth are using technology, and attempt to answer some important questions. Exactly how does the availability of a larger audience affect discourse?  By bringing in more opinions, are we helping or hurting in the quest for an ultimate truth on any subject?  The answers to these questions show that while the introduction of modern technology is highly accepted, there still are those who doubt its role in human discourse.
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Links
A listing of relevant Web Sites
Bibliography
Collection of Annotated Bibliographies