Abstract
An extended version of Gieryn's notion of ‘boundary-work’, supplemented with insights of Thomas Goodnight, is used to represent the central role of rhetoric in disputes on the boundary of science and the public. From a study of the Tarasoff-case it is shown that the rhetorical process of turning obstacles into resources works to move the boundary between a science and the law. It is concluded that rhetorical scholars can and must play a part in the resolution of boundary disputes and that concrete case-studies of boundary-work may deepen criticism of argument.
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Holmquest, A. The rhetorical strategy of boundary-work. Argumentation 4, 235–258 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00173966
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00173966