Walter Fisher
From RhetorClick
Contents |
Biography
Article Summaries
Fisher, Walter "Narration as a Human Communication Paradigm"
Briefly, Fisher's Narrative Paradigm was in opposition of what is called the Rational World Paradigm. The key points of both are summarized below for easy comparison.
- Rational World Paradigm:
- Humans are essentially rational beings
- The primary mode of human decision-making and communicating is rational argument
- Different rules apply in different fields: legal, scientific, legislative, public and so on
- Rationality is a function of subject-matter knowledge, argumentative ability, and skill in employing the rules of advocacy
- The world is a set of logical puzzles that can be solved through appropriate analysis and the application of reason.
- Fisher's Narrative Paradigm:
- Human beings are essentially storytellers
- The primary paradigm for human decision-making and communication is “good reasons”
- Good reasons are influenced by history, biography, culture, and character
- Rationality is determined by coherence, narrative probability and narrative fidelity
- The world is a set of stories from which people choose
Additional Works/ Publications
Books
Articles/Essays
Further Reading
Other Scholarly Views
Agreement
Those authors that agree with Fisher.
Opposition
Those authors that disagree with Fisher.
References
Fisher, Walter R. "Narration as a Human Communication Paradigm: The Case of Moral Public Argument." Professing the New Rhetorics: A Sourcebook. By Theresa Enos and Stuart C. Brown. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1994. 374-96. Print.
