Rendering Technical Communication: Toward a First Philosophy of First Principles
http://www.stc.org/confproceed/1996/PDFs/PG0221.PDF

Stone, Ronald L.
STC Proceedings
1996

Abstract:

This presentation examines a tension—common to students, practitioners, and academics—central to answering some form of the question ‘what is technical communication?’ The tension can arise in the attempt to provide a concise yet sufficient answer that embodies the variety of either the skills used in preparing technical communication, or the types of technical communication produced. Principles of classical rhetoric are useful in examining this communicative tension, and the role of first principles in technical communication is scrutinized. From this the formulation of a first philosophy of first principles is attempted toward addressing the popular communicative tension.