Christianity is
not
anti-intellectual;
however,
there
is
a
distinct
quality
of
anti-intellectualism
in
the
rhetoric
of
the
Christian
Right.
This
thesis
explores
the
ways
in
which
rhetors
in
the
Christian
Right
encourage
anti-intellectual
sentiment
without
explicitly
claiming
to
be
against
intellectualism.
I
argue
that
the
Christian
Right
makes
these
anti-intellectual
arguments
by
invoking
the
tropes
and
topoi
of
populism,
anti-evolution,
and
common
sense.
I
analyze
how
Pat
Robertson,
as
a
representative
of
the
Christian
Right,
used
the
stock
argument,
or
topos,
of
populism
in
his
1986
speech,
in
which
he
announced
his
intention
to
run
for
President.
I
argue
that
while
Robertson
used
the
generic
argumentative
framework
of
populism,
which
is
"anti-elitist,"
he
shifted
the
meaning
of
the
word
"elitist"
from
a
wealthy
person
to
an
intellectual
person.
This
formed
a
trope,
or
turn
in
argument.
Next,
I
consider
the
Christian
Right's
argument
against
the
teaching
of
evolution.
I
analyze
William
J.
Bryan's
argument
in
the
Scopes
Trial,
a
defining
moment
in
the
creation-evolution
debate.
I
show
that
Bryan
used
the
topos
of
creationism,
which
included
the
loci
of
quality
and
order,
to
condemn
the
teaching
of
evolution,
arguing
that
it
would
be
better
to
not
have
education
at
all
than
for
students
to
be
taught
something
that
contradicts
the
Bible.
Finally,
I
consider
how
both
Ronald
Reagan
and
Sarah
Palin
used
the
topos
of
common
sense.
Reagan
used
this
topos
to
create
a
metaphorical
narrative
that
was
to
be
accepted
as
reality,
or
common
sense.
Sarah
Palin,
then,
used
the
common
sense
narrative
that
Reagan
had
created
to
support
her
views.
By
calling
her
ideas
"common
sense"
and
frequently
referencing
Reagan,
her
rhetoric
gives
the
illusion
that
good
governing
is
simple,
thus
removing
the
space
for
an
intellectual
in
public
life.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:tamu.edu/oai:repository.tamu.edu:1969.1/ETD-TAMU-2010-05-7995 |
| Date | 2010 May 1900 |
| Creators | Carney, Zoe L. |
| Contributors | Mercieca, Jennifer R. |
| Source Sets | Texas A and M University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
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