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    570 views166 pages

    Kenneth Burke - The Rhetoric of Religion

    Uploaded by

    Mark Cohen
    Rhetoric, religion, literature

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    The Rhetoric of Religion Studies in Logology Kenneth Burke University of California Press Berkeley + Los Angeles » London airy of Cabri rss ely and Lon Angels, Caer ater of Cari Pre, Li Lend, sg Copy © 190, 170 by Keone Bushe ‘Argh rere, acding the rit Ferd th hk or orton heres an form ‘Stndard Bonk Nutr 590061038, Library of Capron Catalog Card Number: T80502 ‘Orly pled in 18 by Bescon Pr, Baton int Califor prating 1970 Printed te ated Stes of Ameen Aetnosladgnents ‘The ether wibes to ako with hak ein tine from “The Langage ol he OM TTotanet” by NermanH. auth and “The Book Geom seg by Cathet A. Spon, teh af which pst a The Interpret Be, aL I plied by Aingden Pres and Myth and Cat by Thor Bh, publ by Gearge alec fr prin rep ep of the ony "Othe Pit The Chagas of Cone” ‘wich ot appeased a Dacastad eee Tn Symlin Religion and Litre, etd by Rolo May ad ped y Gorge Brae, te. Foreword Religion has often been looked upon as a center from which all eter forms of human motivation gradually diverged. tis sen asa unifying principle, the vision ofan original Edenic ‘one-nes, with endles varieties of action and pasion deriving from it somewhat as the many languages that came to beset the bulding of the Tower of Babel eventually followed ex: pulson from the Garden. ‘Whatever the unifying nature of religion inthis tchatcal ease (with theology as a central science, to term of which all else might be “reduced”), the history of religions as alo ‘been the history of grat discord. Tt would soom that nothing ‘em mote efectvely set people at odds than the demand that they think alike. For, given our many disparate ways of life, ‘we coulda relly think alike, even f we wanted to. Though ‘we repeated exactly the same articles of faith, we'd under- stand them diferenty tothe extent tat our relations to them ered. The rich man's prayer isnot the poor mas prayer Youth's God i+ not the God of the aged. ‘The God of the wretch condemned to be hanged is nt the God of the lucky hap who just won at bingo under eccesastcal supe, ‘The subject of religion falls under the head of rhetore in the sense that rhetoric isthe art of persuasion, and religious ‘osmogonies are dexigned, inthe lat analysis, as exceptionally thoroughgoing modes of persuasion. To persuade men t0- ‘wards certain act, religions would form the Kinds of attitude ‘which prepare men for such act, And in order to plead for such attitudes as persuasively as possible, the religious always ‘round thee exhortations (to themselves and others) in state ments ofthe widest and deepest possible scope, concerning ‘the authorship of men’s motives, wl Foreword Tn this sense, the subject of religious exhortation involves ‘the ature of religion asa rhetoric, as persuasiveness Furthermore, in this book we are to be concerned not Airetly with religion, but rather with the terminology of re- Higion; not directly with mans relationship to God, but rather with his relationship to the word “Cod” ‘Thus the book i bout something s0 essentially shetorcal as religious nomen dlature—hence the subtitle, “Studies in Logology” which is to say, “studies in wordsabout-words” "Theological doctrine is a body of spoken or written swords, Whatever else it may be, and wholly regardless of whether it be true or fale, theology is preeminently cerbal. Tis “words about ‘God In being words about 20 “ulimate” or “radical” a sb- ject it almost necessarily becomes an example of words used ‘with thoroughness. Since wordeabout-God would be as fat- reaching ar words can be, the “rhetoric of religion” Frnishes ood Instance of terminstic enterprise in general. Ths fs our “logologicl” thesis that, since the thealogial use of language is thorough, the close study of theology’ and its forms wll provide us with good insight into the ature of language fel as « motive. Such an approach aso involves the tenta- tive belie that, even when men se language tvaly, the motives inherent in its possible chorough use ar acting some- what as goads, however vague. The easays are the substance of three talks originally sven at Drew University In December 1950 and the spring ‘of 1957, but all were later developed at greater length. Ta particular am grateful forthe opportunity to complete work fon them under the most felicitous of circumstances, as fellow of the Contr for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University, 1957-1058. And T should cer tainly mention my gratitude for the opportunity to develop ‘ich of this material withthe help of my clases at Bennington allege. ‘Contents Foreword v Introduction: On Theology and Logology 1 4 On Words and The Word. 7 Tipt Analg 11 Second Ansbogy 10 Third TP yocnithagy SEES Nog 2 St 2 2 vel lie et Angas Coppi alten tapas Cent Say ie seers, eee Sore ee ete race (b) 73_"ViL, Wheoce Evil 80" Vin. Adolesceot Pe erty 98, 1X The Middle (Cocversion, Tum Fe Spe peel” Khe bok Mota Ti? A 1s Memory? 125" XM. To Cling Unhacrere) 120" XIML‘Traitaan Considerations That Complate he Ascent 133 XI I geo, Senate, Temptation ike erat 3. The First Three Chapters of Genesis 172 Outing ofthe Ingury 172 On Covenant and Order Tia" “Tawtlopied Gyle of Teams for “Onde” 185 UL. Covenant "and" “Contes Covenat™ in" Hobbes evithan 106 “IV. Principles of Coverance ‘Stated ‘Nuatvely 01. Restatent om Dea and Mort {ation 308 “VL. The Naratve Procite Tnmgery 213 Vit'Domision, Galt Scie 215° VIM. il Come ing of Cyclical and Restless Styler 252 TX Lage Egat Epoque 250" X Macelncnue Posts 2 Epilogue: Prologue in Heaven 273 Index S17 Introduction: On Theology and Logolegy 1 we defined “theology” as “words about God” then by “Togslogy” we should mean “words about words” Whereupon, ‘thoughts on the necessary verbal nature of religious doctrines suggest a farther possiblity: that there might be fruitful anal- logics between the two realms. Thus statements that great theologians have made about the nature of "God" might be adapted muta maton fr use as purely secular observa: tons on the nature of word, Insofar as man is the “typically symbol-using animal” it should not be surprising that men's thoughts on the nature of the Divine embody the principles of verbalization. And ino- far as “God” Is « formal principle, any thorough statements bout "God" shold he expected to reveal the formality under Tying their genius ar statements, ‘The Biblical avowal that ‘man is made in Ges image has made us wary of the reversed Aathropomorphic tendency to conceive of God in man’s image. Bat the present inguiry stands midway between those two sitions, contending merely tht, insofar as religious doctrine 's verbal, it will necessarily exemplify its nature as verbalize. ion; and insofar a religious docsioe is thorough, ways of ‘exemplifying verbal principles should be correspondingly thorough. “lence, it should be possible to analyze remarks ebout the “nature of ‘Godlike remarks about the “nature of son, in thee sheer formality as observations about the nature 1 2 Introduction of language. And such a correspondence between the theo- logical and “logologial” reals should be there, whether of ‘ct “God” actully exets, For regardless of whether the entity tamed "God" exists outside his nature sherly as ey term in ‘system of terms, words “about him” mst reveal thei mature as words, It's not within the competence of our project to decide the question sitherthestcally or atheetially, or even agnor: tically. This investigation dacs not requires to make any decisions about the validity of thology qua theology. Out pppoe is simply to ask how theological principles can be Shown to have usable secular analogues that throw light upon the nature of language ‘St Augustine, having arrived at his Tvnitarian idea of God, saw manifestations ofthis supernatural principle in all sorts of sheriy natural phenomena. Every triad, however soc: ‘lar, was for him another sign of the Trinity. For ovr pur- poses, we can be content with the analogy alone. We need rot decid ether with or against Augustine. For our purposes, £8 does matter whether the speraatural Trinity i or not rade manifest in everthing that Roget would list under such 4 varity of terme a: trad, triplet, trefo, triangle, trident, tere, tera, tro, ey, trinomal, triumvirate, ete, ete. We need but note that all members of the lot are analogicaly classifable together by reaon of their three-oes. However, ‘as we shall try to show when we come to our study of Angus tine, regardless of whether or ot there ie a Holy Trinity such ar he portlates, the trintarian pattern in he tea of God ‘must be considered as a radial aspect of his psychology, though we conceived of that psychology in « purely secular ‘As for unitary concept of God, ts lnguistie analogue 1 tbe found in the nature of any name of tle, which sums ‘up manifold of particulars under a ingle head (as with the tile of a ook, or the name of some person ox poltcal move- On Theology andl Logology 3 tment). Any such summarizing word is functionally « “god- ‘erm.” What, then, might be the ration between sich aterm tnd the countles deta lssable under its “unifying” hoa? Is there not a sons in which the summarising term, the over All name or ttl, could be said to “eranscend” the many details subsumed under that head, somewhat as “sir” 16 said to “transcend matter"? ‘The question indicates the ways in which the study of theology might be applied “lgologcally” ‘The short introductory esay, "On Words ad The Word” considers the subject in general. The second esay, “On Verbal ‘Action in St. Augustine's Confesions” analyzes Augustine’ evelopment from a teacher of pagan vhetorc (what he calls ‘word merchant” senior eerborum) to a preacher of The ‘Word. Here the approach isthe other way round, by cose textual analysis. And quite asthe Confestons ends on the tubject of Genesis, so our third essay makes tis same tum. However, n keeping with our patter, the Angustinin dis. tinction between “me” and “eternity” eteated i ts linguie- tically analogous form, atthe distinction between the unfold ing of «sentence through the materiality of its parts and the “untary non-material estence ot meaning of the sentence (1 tsnalogy, Incidentally, which Augustine himself poats oat). "The conclading eaay, “On the First Three Chapter of Genesis” combines both generalized approach and: textual snalysia. Whatever may be the embarrasments as regards theological attempts to square this wonderful story Ierally ‘with modera theories of evolution, ii ust about perfect for the purposes of the “logologer.” So we used every resource at ‘ur command, including « “Tautlogial Cycle of Term Inv plc in the Idea of ‘Order! a summarizing lok at Hobber's Leviathan forthe insight i ves ato the important subject of “Covenants,” and a series of last-minute addenda attempting to clinch one or another aspect of our ease Formally, the investigation heads in an attempt to study the point at which narrative forms and logical forms merge 4 Introduction (or begin to diverge!) the exquisite point of diferentiation ‘between purely temporal and. purely logical principles of “pron an overlap that comes to 4 theaogial focus inthe shifts Between Cod as logical ground of all moral sanetions fand God as originator of the naturel, temporal order. The cytial chat of terms for “Order” sume wp the “aiectiones” ‘way in which such a cluster of tems imply one another. The Creation Myth atthe opening of Genesis is analyzed as the paradigm of ways whereby such intelockiog motivational ‘rincples are translated int terms ofan ieversible narrative sxquence. ‘And Sally, though the logologer cannot hope to offer the reader something even remotely approaching either the ‘vast ultimate promises or the equally vast ultimate threats which the theologian holds forth there at leat an important “moral” tobe drawn from tis study, Tt drives from the great stress we have laid upon the suceifcial principle which, we ‘uy to show, i Sntrine to the iden of Order. If we are right {in what we take the Creation Myth in Genesis to be saying, then the contemporary world must doubly fear the cyclical compulsions of Empire, as two mighty world orders, each Ihomicidally armed to the pot of suicide, confront each ater. ‘As with dominion always, each is much beset with anxiety. ‘And in keping with the “curative” role of vitimage, each is ‘apparently in cute need of blaming al its many troubles on the other, wanting to feel certain that, the other and ite tendencies were but eliminated, all governmental discord (all the Disorder that goes with Order) would be eliminated. In sum: Hee are the step Inthe lon Law ef History ‘hat welds Order and Suerte: Order lade to Gait (forwho can beep commandment!) Gain ends Redonpace On Theology and Logology 5 edempisn needs Reber (Gok tony, Viti) cat ‘To Vista hence Cat ofthe Ki)... Along these Hines, the author would propose to replace the present politcal stress upon men inva ternational sit tuations by @ “Togological” reairmation of the foibles and ‘quandaries that all men (in their role as “symbolising ane sas") have in common, [As for the Appendix, the “Prologue in Heaven": It is feed somewhat after the analogy ofthe “sty play” which, fn the ancient Greek theater, taditonally followed a teilogy of solemn tragedies. This “purely imaginary” dialogue be- toveen The Lord and Satan was originally ftended merely at "light way of rocaptilatng the case for “loglogy” a8 de- ‘eloped in the Uhre foregoing say Let us hope that i “lightness” dace not sem like “lev- ty The fact that ance things got going, Ue concelt tended to take over, by developing unexpected quirks of is own. Pet- Inape a Satan with even at mild a character at the Bure in this dialogue is likly to make a writer break loose somewhat, particularly sine the dialogue form so readily permits one to Say things with which one might personally disagree. ‘Tho reader should bear in mind that this dalogue is Intended to ilatrate the principles not of theology but of logology, « purely secular subject. Basically, it designed to uphold the position that, inthe study of human motives, we should begin with complex theeres of transcendence (as in {heology and metaphysics) rather than with the terminologies of simplifed laboratory experiment. 1 On Words and The Word We are to be concemed with the analogy Between words" (lower case) and The Ward (Logos, Verbum) as were in caps, "Words" inthe fist sense have wholly natural: Sti, empirical reference. But they may be used analgically, to designate a further dimension, the supernatural.” Whether or ot there isa realin of the “rupernatral,” there are words for it. And inthis state of linguistic affairs there is « paradox. For whereas the word forthe “supernatural” realm ae neces sary borrowed from the realm of our everyday experiences, fut of which our familarity with language arses, once ater ‘minology has been developed for special theological purposes the erder can become reversed. We can borrow back the terms from the borrower, again seclarizing to varying degrees the erginaly secular terms that had been given “supernatural” ‘connotation. its Latin form, it had such purely secular meanings as: ‘teem, fiendaip, partiality, service, obligation, thanks, ree ‘mpens, purpose. Thus gratis, or gratis meant: “Yor nothing, ‘without pay, though sheer Kindoes” ete. The pagan Roman ‘nul also say “thank God? (ds grata)—and doubles such ‘arly usage contibuted tothe terms later avaabilty for spe- ‘acaly theological doctrine. But in any case, once the word. was translated from the realm of socal relationships ito the sipematually tinged realm of relationships between “Cod” ‘and man, the etymological conditions were set fora revere ‘rocess whereby the thologeal term could in fect be aes 1 5 The Rhetoric of Religion theta, 8 we came to lok for ee” a Meray se, cin the porely scolar bohavior of & hoses "To te other obvious Instances: "Greate" apparently come rom an Indo-European root meaning simply to make” and having mich Greek derivatives 1 the word for “strength and "accomplak” (don, ln). In theology, comes to have the meaning of production ex snlo—and this in trn gives tote semisolid view of pole prodecion wt (In Coeidges words) “dim am logue of Creation” “Spit” sila word. Having moved analogialy from i natural meaning, at “breath” to comntatons that lowered in it wage at term for the supernatural, could then be analogieally borowed back secular term for tenper, temperament and he ike “The courte of sich words provides ws with tiny modes the Patnie dali, with Re Upward Way and. Down: rad Way (a frm tht we shall onder moe aly ater in this ey) ‘So if we would “analog” by Ue lgoogia ransom. ing of terms from thir “supernatural” reference into thei rab we ina ream so wholly “tra” stat of language Considered as purely empirical phenomenon, such “analo- {Sangin th see would really bea Kindo “Se-anlogiing” Or would be except that a Dew dnension relly as been ete And there i shee logo jstiBaton foe tis ‘ew dimecsion that the theological analogies have added to ‘words thus taken over fr religous doctrine. There i sense in which language nt fst natural ut vealy does add “ew dimension” to the thing of nature (an observation that would be the lgolegel equivalent ofthe thealopel state- ‘pent hat grace perfects nate). “The chet od spl way to rein that words "ane scent” non-verbal mature st think ofthe notable difrence ‘between the Kind of operations we might perform with a ree td the Kind of operations we might perform with the snd On Words and The Word ° re.” Verbally, we can make “one tee” into “ve thousand luce” by merely revising our text, whereas a wholly diferent set of procedures would be required to get the corresponding. result fm astare, Verbally, we can any, “To leep warm, cut ‘down the tee and burn i and we can say this even if there fn no tree. Or whether we call the tree generically tre oF refer toi as some particular species of te, the fact remalne that our term fori has “transcended” it unique individuality. ‘And if we put an apostrophe ater the word “wee.” thereby geting the posesive form, “tree's” we'd have something uit diferent fom the way in which a tre “own its bark, branches, ete. Finally, since the word “eee rhymes with the words “knee” “be,” and “se,” we here ave an order of as0- ations wholly diferent from entities with which a toe i physically connected.” + Once whe I wat aang the stig of um nl one Colm poy “The, Aecat Harta” 5 det ioe ts Ob fete Pie a “ ee weit itt 10 ‘The Rhetoric of Religion ‘Thus, even logologically, there are god grounds fr pay Ing close attention to this complicated process whereby, in: stead of merely staying always within the narrower termioal- ‘ogy (asa sheerly naturalistic terminology is “marrower” than ‘the kind you get when natural terms ae borrowed and applied ‘nalogclly to “supernatural” referents), we propote 19 g0 the fall teat. And so, even lgologclly, we'd agree that there are good grounds forthe borowing, since it adds a now

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