Rhetoric for their Readers
...an examination of the religious and secular rhetoric of
the 17th Century through Lalemant’s Jesuit Relation and
Galileo’s Letter to Christina
1
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
1
Why the 17th century? Because it was an important
time of fundamental scientific and religious change...
✤ Emergence of new ideas in physics,
astronomy, biology, human anatomy, and
chemistry led to a rejection of doctrines that
had prevailed from Ancient Greece through
the Middle Ages.
✤ Fundamental cross-disciplinary
transformation and recognition of scientific
study and a new focus on understanding the
natural world.
✤ Rise of revolutionary thinkers who questioned
entrenched beliefs (e.g. Galileo, Keppler,
Newton, Von Leibniz, Papin, Van
Leewenhoek, Copernicus, etc.).
✤ Fundamental discoveries such as the
replacement of the Earth by the Sun as the
centre of the solar system
✤ Period of tremendous religious reformation
(e.g. protestant reformation, Calvin, Luther,
etc.)
✤ Extensive European involvement in
missionary work in the New World and the
East, requiring a “matching” of Old World
religion with New World Events.
2
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
2
Purpose? To identify and examine an example of
religious and secular 17th century scientific rhetoric...
Secular Exemplar:
Religious Exemplar:
Jérôme Lalemant’s Relation “Three Suns
and Other Aerial Phenomena Which
Appeared in New France” (1662-1663)
Galileo Galilei’s Letter to Madame
Christina of Lorraine, Grand Duchess of
Tuscany (“the Letter to Christina”, 1615)
Purpose: to interpret the New World using
Old World standards.
Purpose: to teach that science could
correct ancient premises without conflict
with religion.
Why these Exemplars?
✤ Both documents address scientific topics (Lalemant provided descriptions of natural phenomena,
✤
✤
✤
✤
✤
Galileo promoted his descriptions of the natural world),
Both authors depended and sought patronage,
Both documents were created during a period of major upheaval in which science questioned
religious interpretation,
Both authors were men of strong faith,
Both documents make a valuable contribution to scientific knowledge, and
Both documents contain rhetorical methodologies of ethos and paths, and logos.
3
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
3
About Lalemant...
✤ Jesuit missionary, b. at Paris, 27 April, 1593, d. at Quebec,
16 November, 1665.
✤ He entered the Jesuit Order at Paris, 2 October, 1610.
✤ Arriving in Canada 25 June, 1638, he immediately went to
the Huron missions as superior.
✤ He took the first regular census of the Indians, instituted the
organization of the donnés or lay assistants of the
missionaries, and re-arranged the different missionary posts
making the new establishment of St. Mary's on the Wye the
central one.
✤ In 1645 he returned to Quebec as general superior.
✤ In 1656 he was recalled to France and in 1658 was made
rector of the Royal college of La Flèche; but was hardly
installed when he was asked for by Laval as Vicar-General of
Quebec.
✤ He returned with Laval in 1659 and acted as his vicar during
all the troubles with the Governors d'Argenson, d'Avaugour,
and de Mesy, and also with de Queylus who was an aspirant
for the Bishopric of Quebec.
✤ He remained superior and vicar-general until the end of his
life. He wrote many of the "Relations", and also most of the
only volume we have of the "Journal des Jésuites".
✤ Uncle to Gabriel Lalemant, who was martyred in the New
World in1649.
4
Source: Campbell, Thomas. "Jerome Lalemant." The Catholic
Encyclopedia. Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 2
May 2010 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08752c.htm>.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
4
About Galileo...
✤ Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (1564-1642) was born
in Pisa (then part of the Duchy of Florence), Italy.
✤ He was educated in the Camaldolese Monastery at
Vallombrosa run by the Jesuits. Although he seriously
considered the priesthood as a young man, he enrolled in
medicine at the University of Pisa however ended up
studying mathematics instead.
✤ In 1589, he was appointed Chair of Mathematics at the
University. In 1592, he moved to the University of Padua,
where he taught geometry, mechanics, and astronomy until
1610. During this period, Galileo made significant discoveries
in both pure science (e.g., kinematics of motion, and
astronomy) and applied science (e.g., strength of materials,
improvement of the telescope).
✤ In 1610 Galileo published an account of his telescopic
observations of the moons of Jupiter, using this observation
to argue in favour of the heliocentric, Copernican theory of
the universe against the dominant earth-centered Ptolemaic
and Aristotelian theories.
✤ In 1632, following a Papal trial in which he was found
vehemently suspect of heresy, Galileo was placed under
house arrest. He died in 1642.
✤ Galileo began a campaign to convert the Church to the
Copernican system after his first publication, Sidereus
nuncius, in 1610. This publication brought him fame, and he
was made “Philosopher and Chief Mathematician to the
Most Serene Grand Duke of Tuscany”.
5
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
5
About the Jesuit
Relations...
✤ Primary historical documents of French
exploration, native relations, and
sometimes scientific communication.
✤ Annual reports and narratives written
between 1632 and 1673
✤ Published originally in Paris in annual
volumes, they are available to us as
translated and edited documents.
✤ In the New World, Jesuit missionaries in
the field reported their encounters with
natives and the natural world to a Father
Superior in Quebec.
✤ From Quebec, the documents, edited by
the Father Superior, were sent to Paris
for final editing and printing.
✤ The Jesuit Relations were then
distributed among patrons to obtain
financial support.
6
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
6
About the Letter to
Christina...
✤ Written by Galileo in 1615 to Madame
Christina of Lorraine, Grand Duchess of
Tuscany, who was the mother of Grand
Duke Cosimo II.
✤ Stated purpose was to dissuade the
Church from condemning Copernicus’s
De revolutionibis of 1543....however, the
broader purpose was to promote
Copernicus‘ work.
✤ Predates the delivery of Galileo’s opinion
publicly on Copernicanism through his
Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief
World Systems.
✤ Attempts to work out an acceptable
solution that would preserve the
autonomy of each.
7
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
7
Main difference in the examples’ religious and
secular rhetorical purpose...
Lalemant as a Jesuit...
Jesuit rhetorical style: maintained
a strictly religious interpretation of
scientific events as per Biblical
references.
Galileo as a Scientist...
Scientific rhetorical style:
promoted the idea that science
must be allowed to influence and
interpret Biblical references.
8
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
8
Overview of
Lalemant’s Relation...
Background
Lalemant was the Superior of the Missions to the Hurons in
New France. He recorded observations on the culture of
Native Americans, but also on the natural world. Lalemant
was also an astute observer of astronomy and sought to
provide scientific information to his reading public with a
strong religious component.
Audience
Readers were patrons, who were lay persons and pious,
with some interest in the natural sciences. Lalemant
provided information that reflected the predominant
Aristotelian geocentric philosophy of his time in order to
strengthen readers’ belief in God.
9
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
9
Overview of Galileo’s
Letter to Christina...
Background
In 1613, the Grand Duchess Dowager Christina
challenged Benedetto Castelli to explain the conflict
between the Biblical interpretation of a static earth
verses an earth in motion. Galileo responded to Castelli
in a letter that was widely circulated and copied. Galileo
was charged by the Roman Inquisition with heresy, and
sought advice and support from his friends and patrons
through three long essays on the issues. One of these
was the Letter to Christina written in 1615; it dealt with
religious objections.
Audience
The primary stated audience was Christina. Secondary
implied readers intended were patrons, Aristotelians, and
the Lay public (including men of influence, and other
scientists), the Catholic Church and the Inquisition. This
secondary audience was the real focus of Galileo’s letter.
He attempted to make them understand his support of
the Copernicus theory and that science should aid
religious leaders interpret the Bible.
10
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
10
Lalemant’s Rhetorical Methodology...
Ethos
✤
✤
Was a Jesuit and a
Superior of the Missions in
the New World
Implied ethos because of
this position
Pathos
✤
✤
Vivid descriptions, colours
and links to religious
symbols.
Wove ancient mythology
into descriptions - gave
people comfort by using
classical symbology.
Logos
✤
Level of detail in
observations
✤
Used empirical and
observational notations in
observation of partial
eclipse of 1663
Other
✤
At times merged pathos and logos to relay observations.
✤
Avoided attributing explanations of the objects he saw to science.
✤
Applied religious interpretation to his observations
✤
Reaffirmed his readers’ beliefs in ancient theory.
✤
Entwined Greek mythology: described the aurora borealis as "Fiery serpents flying through the air, intertwined in the form of the caduceus,
borne on wings of flame".
✤
Challenged in trying to interpret New World such that God was present even in an ‘unholy place’.
✤
Scientific observations needed to be related in a manner that would not detract from the goals of the missionaries, and the observations
needed to adhere to accepted interpretations well anchored in faith.
11
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
11
Galileo’s Rhetorical Methodology...
Ethos
✤
Author of Sereus nuncius,
dedicated to Christina’s
son, his patron.
✤
Presented himself as a
“straightforward and
earnest, devout, yet
embattled philosopher.”
Pathos
✤
Combined with ethos
throughout: “cast against
me imputations of crimes,
which must be and are
more abhorrent to me than
death itself”
Logos
✤
Rejected the use logos,
although advised to use it:
simply stated that
demonstrations exist, but
did not produce inductive
and deductive proofs that
would have helped his
argument.
Other
✤
Could be considered a treatise instead of a letter by virtue of its length
✤
Attached his detractors in order to win support for the use of science to explain biblical references.
✤
Writes to Christina, rather than the Duke, his patron. Christina was known to be pious: how could he be a heretic if he was corresponding with
the pious mother of his patron? Perhaps he was playing on her emotions as a woman who would be more receptive to his appeal than a man.
✤
Is an example of the ars dictaminis (the art of prose composition specifically of the writing of letters): salutatio, captatio benevolentiae, narratio,
petitio, and conclusio, as well as divisio and refutatio not normally found in letters).
✤
Cast aspersions on his critics: “they show greater fondness for their own opinions than for truth they sought to deny and disprove new things
which, if they had cared to look for themselves, their own senses would have demonstrated to them.”
✤
Focuses on theological deductive arguments, ignoring the Aristotelian inductive or deductive proofs that could have swayed his readers.
12
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
12
Conclusion.....
Lalemant’s Relation:
Galileo’s Letter to Christina:
✤
Reveals how Jesuits interpreted New World
discoveries through biblical references and
symbology.
✤
Rhetoric supported religious resistance to
change, however also contains some overtones
of growing scientific influence.
✤
✤
Audience were patrons, who were lay persons
and pious, with some interest in the natural
sciences.
Jesuit Relations had several editors who ensure
that the Church’s views were supported.
✤
Letter reveals a pious man determined to show
his audience that others have misjudged the
importance of science’s contribution to
understanding.
✤
Rhetoric style uses elements of ars dictaminis in
addition to ethos, pathos, and logos.
✤
Audience was a large secondary group that
included patrons, religious leaders, peers etc.
✤
Galileo was the sole author, however he had
written a shorter 8 page letter to Castelli prior to
writing this 40 page version.
Why should we care?
✤
The 17th century was the beginning of the scientific revolution in which religious and scientific rhetoric conflicted
with each other. Our 21st century rhetoric is based--and arose--from the results of this conflict. To understand
how scientists of the 17th century dealt with this conflict and how they communicated may help us understand
today's challenges faced by scientific rhetoricians.
13
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
13