In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer

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In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer Politics, Rhetoric, and Self-Defense

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Rachel L. Holloway

Book Code: C4429

ISBN: 0-275-94429-8

ISBN-13: 978-0-275-94429-2

DOI:

144 pages, figures

Praeger Publishers

Publication: 5/30/1993

List Price: $87.95 (UK Sterling Price: £49.95)

Availability: Out of stock

Media Type: Hardcover

Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4

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Description: In June 1954, the Atomic Energy Commission determined that J. Robert Oppenheimer, wartime director of the Manhattan Project and "Father of the Atomic Bomb," was a security risk. Consequently, America's most prominent scientist was removed from government service. In contrast to historical and political explanations of the Oppenheimer case, Holloway explores the role that rhetoric played in Oppenheimer's demise. In doing so, the author draws attention to the symbolic nature of politics and character and highlights the significant interaction of political and scientific terminologies in American discourse. Holloway's analysis and evaluation suggest that the accusations against Oppenheimer used the most powerful terms of the mid-1950s--"communism," "progress," and "science"--to legitimize the government's questionable action. Oppenheimer, for his part, failed to use his most strategic rhetorical resources in his defense, and therefore participated in his own ruin. Holloway highlights the rhetorical interaction among accusation, self-defense, and decision statements through a microscopic rhetorical analysis of the case's five central documents. An original extension and refinement of Kenneth Burke's cluster-agon method, which Holloway calls "terminological algebra," is proposed as a systematic analytical tool consistent with Burke's theories. Recommended for critics of rhetoric and political communication.

Table of Contents:

Preface
Introduction
Oppenheimer's Rise to Power: The Historical Prelude
A Linguistic Calculus: Terminological Algebra
Oppenheimer's Public Life Revisited: Analysis of the Accusations and the Defense
Oppenheimer's Public Life Rewritten: Analysis of the Decision Statements
Conclusions Drawn
Bibliography
Index

LC Card Number: 92-35350

LCC Class: QC16

Dewey Class: 530


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