Deliberation, Rhetoric, and Emotion in the Discourse on Climate Change in the European Parliament.

• Author: Marinelli, Kevin
• Position: Book review

Deliberation, Rhetoric, and Emotion in the Discourse on Climate Change in the European Parliament. By Vebjorn Roald and Linda Sangolt. CW Delft, The Netherlands: Eburon Academic Publishers, 2012; pp. 135. $25.00 paper.

The past decade has witnessed an interdisciplinary surge in studies of emotion. From neurobiology to cultural studies, an increasing number of scholars now consider the cultural mediation of emotional processes along with the biological dimension of cultural practices. Rhetorical studies appears especially committed to linking these previously disparate bodies of knowledge (see, for example, Condit, 2013). Vebjorn Roald and Linda Sangolt contribute to such discussion in their recent work, Deliberation, Rhetoric, and Emotion in the Discourse on Climate Change in the European Parliament (Deliberation). The authors offer a succinct, well-researched case study of emotional rhetoric and it likewise deserves the attention of rhetorical and argumentative studies. I begin my review with a brief summary of its six respective chapters. Later I argue that while Roald and Sangolt admirably reinsert emotional discourse into the realm of public deliberation, their logocentrist framework ultimately impedes their attempt to substantively advance knowledge on the topic.

The introductory chapter lays out Roald and Sangolt's text, purpose and theoretical framework. The authors analyze transcripts of plenary debates at three climate change summits of the European Parliament (EP), held in 1992, 2002 and 2007. They argue the EP demands further attention as the world's largest democratic assembly, and, given the emotional volatility of climate change, the issue conveniently lends itself to the study of emotional rhetoric. The authors ask two primary questions, "To what extent do EP debates fulfill [Habermasian] (sic) deliberative standards," and, "Which emotional triggers, if any, are employed in these debates" (p. 18)? The deeper question of their work, however, asks, "How, if at all, does emotional rhetoric enhance or threaten public deliberation on climate change?"

Chapter two outlines the authors' deliberative, rhetorical and emotional frameworks respectively. First, Roald and Sangolt assume a Habermasian framework of communicative action as the ideal standard of deliberative democracy, "where some principles of justice appeal to reason in such a way that they can be seen as universal" (p. 36). While a few of Habermas' critics are attended, namely Jon Elster and Nancy Frazer, the authors appear to take communicative action at face value without thoroughly interrogating the limitations of Habermasian thought. Next, rhetorical theory receives three parochial pages on Plato and Aristotle, along with a short explanation of tropes. While two paragraphs of contemporary theory attempt to counter the Platonic, logos-pathos binary, the authors nevertheless emphasize their Aristotelian commitment to rational deliberation. Although the authors use the concept of "rational deliberation" throughout their work, they never offer a clear definition of what they mean by it. They also purportedly draw on Michel Foucault's (1970) concept of discourse as, "opinion formation tied to an institution, where concepts are tied together in different ways" (p. 30). Yet, they neglect to incorporate Foucault's scholarship in any meaningful way. Instead, Roald and Sangolt reinforce the classical conception of discourse, particularly regarding their Aristotelian view of emotional appeals. Third, the authors draw on the emotional research of social scientist, John Elster, whose eight core emotions are later elaborated in chapter five. Roald and Sangolt situate the status of emotions somewhere between the perceived extremes of Jurgen Habermas on one hand, and David Hume on the other. Instead of engaging the radical implications of Hume's thought, however, the authors merely echo Marlene Sokolon's remark on logos and emotion as a "symphonic" interaction (p. 45). The chapter thereby reinforces the traditional perspective regarding rhetoric and emotion as mere aids, albeit necessary ones, to what the authors persistently and, perhaps glibly, label rational deliberation.

Chapter three outlines the methodological approach and data selection. Two quantitative methods are employed: the Deliberative Quality Index (hereafter DQI) and the Textual Emotional Index (hereafter TEI). First, the...