Miller’s article on technical opened me up to a whole new vocab of words I had not known before.
Techné – Is known in technical communications as the art of making something. It’s meaning is literally technique or production.
Phonesis – Is known as prudence or the virtue of good. With this you are concerned about what is right in your writing. Morally or ethically speaking.
Praxis – Is where theory meets actual practice in technical communication.
While Techné is the most important idea to take from this article. One that made me think the most was Phonesis. I did not realize until this article that ethics really played a part in technical writing. With this idea I especially like when Miller talked about understanding technical writing as a matter of conduct rather than a product. This idea she claims gives teachers new perspectives on phonesis and how they teach technical communication. Being concerned about what is right in your writing is not always something thought of when practicing techné, but according to Miller it should be.
jmschmitt 