Lecture Notes: The Pentadic Method and Kenneth Burke's Theories

Introduction to the Pentadic Method

• The Pentadic Method is a concept developed by Kenneth Burke.
• If familiar with the five parts of the Pentad from a previous course (100B), this lecture expands on it.

Understanding Burke's Concepts

• Burke introduces three crucial concepts:
  1. The Negative
  2. The Hierarchy
  3. Guilt, Victimage, and Purification (all considered a single idea by Burke).

The Negative

• Core Idea: Language excludes other possible meanings; it differentiates and focuses on one meaning.
• Significance:
  • Language's power is in exclusion and differentiation.
  • The "Negative" is essential to language, likened to religious concepts such as apophatic theology.
  • Apophatic Theology: Negation is used to define by stating what is not.
• Examples:
  • Saying "sailboat" excludes other images like "elephant" or "spaceship."
  • "Horse" calls to mind the animal, not a "tardigrade" or "poodle."
  • Even fictional concepts like "flying monkey" illustrate language's power to bring specific ideas to mind.

Power of the Negative in Language

• Categories Formation:

  • Language creates categories by excluding other meanings.
  • Categories are formed for things that exist and can even be fictional or non-material.
  • Examples: "Sailboat" and "Horse" belong to things that exist; "Flying Monkey" does not.
  • "Animal" includes "Horse" and "Flying Monkey" but excludes "Sailboat."

• Human Thought and Moral Judgment:

  • The Negative makes human thought possible by allowing categorization.
  • It enables moral judgments, distinguishing right from wrong.
  • Moral categories are formed through exclusion (e.g., categorizing behaviors as "not good").
  • Essential for societal norms, such as deeming violence and theft as wrong.

Key Takeaways on the Negative

• Inevitability: Negative is an unavoidable part of language.
• Categorization: It enables categorization, essential for thought.
• Moral Judgment: Provides the foundation for moral judgment and societal norms.

Transition to Next Topic

• The lecture proceeds to discuss the next major term, "Hierarchy," as part of Burke's framework.