Abstract

This paper offers a new perspective on the rhetoric of ‘sustainability’ especially within dialogue around ‘design for sustainability’ (DfS) by applying and advancing the work of twentieth-century rhetorical theorist and cultural critic, Kenneth Burke. Burke’s rhetorical theory is presented here for its potential to not only highlight but also transcend the common disjunction between theory and praxis that emerges in the ‘symbol-foolishness’ underpinning various forms of unsustainability. This paper presents Burke’s theory of symbolicity and discusses four key symbolic ‘disorders’ that he identified over the course of his career, namely, hierarchic psychosis, technological psychosis, trained incapacity, and the bureaucratization of the imaginative. In conclusion, this paper suggests how enhanced rhetorical literacy, or greater ‘symbol-wisdom’, could serve an important role in reviving the notion of ‘sustainability’ itself.

摘要

本文通过应用和推进 20 世纪修辞理论家和文化评论家肯尼思·伯克 (Kenneth Burke) 的工作，为“可持续性”的修辞提供了新的视角，尤其是在围绕“可持续性设计”(DfS) 的对话中。伯克的修辞理论在此展示的潜力不仅突出而且超越了理论与实践之间的普遍脱节，这种脱节出现在支持各种形式的不可持续性的“符号愚蠢”中。本文介绍了伯克的符号理论，并讨论了他在其职业生涯中发现的四种关键的符号“障碍”，即等级性精神病、技术性精神病、训练有素的无能和想象力的官僚化。. 总之，本文提出了增强修辞素养或更大的“符号智慧”如何在复兴“可持续性”概念本身方面发挥重要作用。