Carl Sagan's Cosmos: The Rhetorical Construction of Popular Science Mythology

• Main Author: Sorensen, Karen Jane
• Format: Others
• Published: North Dakota State University 2017
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10365/26908

Using Carl Sagan's Cosmos as a case study, this dissertation explores the intersection of science with popular culture and builds a new framework for rhetorically analyzing popular science programming. The arguments and research focus on the ways in which popularizing scientific information for the masses can create a type of science fiction rather than merely being a transferal of information. This metamorphosis of fact into fiction occurs as a result of the convergence of three rhetorical concepts, kairos, ethos, and aethos. Kairos is the placement of Cosmos in time. Historical and political elements (including education and entertainment) contribute to a science program's kairos. Ethos is the appeal (or credibility) of the narrator. The audience is receptive to the information presented only if the narrator is able to establish this appeal. Personality traits that are popular outside of stereotypically educational or scientific environments are often used in popular science programs to establish ethos. Aethos is the haunt or the environment created for the program; it lays the groundwork for narrative control. The haunt--which is carefully and purposefully constructed through the use of dramatizations and sensory elements--creates the viewpoint from which an audience examines and evaluates the information or arguments presented. A program's kairos, ethos, and aethos intertwine to determine its potential for attracting and retaining a broad audience. However, these elements carry with them an unintentional side effect. In combination, they create a mythos that can assist in the popularity and longevity of the program but they also carry with them a fictionalizing effect.