Zen in the art of rhetoric
Subtitle: an inquiry into coherence
By: Mark Lawrence McPhail.
Series: SUNY series in speech communication
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Published: 1996
Place of publication: Albany
Language: eng
Number of pages: 220
Subjects: Rhetoric; Zen Buddhism -- Essence, genius, nature; Language and languages -- Religious aspects -- Zen Buddhism; Language and languages -- Philosophy; Truth -- Coherence theory
Description: Drawing on poetry, personal narratives, critical analysis, and epistemological explorations this book expands traditional conceptions of rhetoric beyond an "art of persuasion" to a power to manage diverse conceptions of reality, freeing the study and practice of discourse from the essentializing constraints of foundationist philosophy.

As an "inquiry into coherence," the book explores social, political, and pedagogical issues ranging from racism, to cultural and ethnic diversity, to the role of argument and persuasion in the creation and perpetuation of difference.

The result of this exploration is as understanding of rhetoric as a Tao, a Way of being, thinking, and speaking grounded in what the author calls "dialogic coherence," an actively non-argumentative approach to language, life, and method that is based upon the philosophies and practices of the Eastern martial arts.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 195-213) and index.