Robert L. Scott


Robert L. Scott was an American scholar influential in the study of rhetorical theory, criticism of public address, debate, and communication research and practice. He was professor emeritus in the at the . He is the author of five books, numerous articles in speech, communications, philosophy, and rhetoric journals, and contributed many book chapters. His article “On Viewing Rhetoric As Epistemic,” is considered one of the most important academic articles written in rhetorical studies in the past century.

Personal life

Scott was born in Fairbury, Nebraska. He was the youngest of four children born to Walter and Anna Scott. His father was an educator, superintendent of schools and founder of Fairbury Community College, now Southeast Community College. He married Betty Rose Foust on September 13, 1947. They had three children.

Education

Scott graduated from Fairbury High School and earned his undergraduate degree at Colorado State College of Education now University of Northern Colorado where he majored in English. He earned his master's degree in Speech at the University of Nebraska and Ph.D. in Speech at the University of Illinois. Scott was the debate coach at the University of Houston, 1953–1957, and University of Minnesota, 1957–1964.

Academic administration

Scott was an assistant professor at the University of Houston from 1953 until 1957, when he took an assistant professor position at the University of Minnesota in , where he taught until 1998. During his time in the department he was department chair from 1971 to 1989, director of graduate study 1961–1971 and 1990–1996. He also served as department chair for 1992-1994, and director, 1995-1997. Scott also served on numerous all-university, College of Liberal Arts and graduate school committees.

Professional memberships

Scott published highly influential work on rhetorical theory and criticism. His most famous article, “On Viewing Rhetoric As Epistemic,” became one of the most important academic articles written in rhetorical studies in the past century.
Drawing inspiration from the ancient Sophists and Stephen Toulmin, and others, Scott argued that the traditional understanding of rhetoric as an art merely for making the Truth effective was inadequate. If we acknowledge that truth is probable and contingent, then it follows that rhetoric is a central art for finding our way. Scott argued that we should “consider truth not as something fixed and final but as something to be created moment by moment” in the circumstances in which we find ourselves and with which we must cope. Humans may plot our course by fixed stars but we do not possess those stars; we proceed, more or less effectively, on our course. Furthermore, humanity has learned that the stars are fixed only in a relative sense. In human affairs, then, “rhetoric is a way of knowing; it is epistemic.” In 1978, Michael Leff noted that “rhetoric is epistemic” marked the dominant trend in contemporary rhetorical theorizing.

Recognition