ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book digs into the way that topics shape the decision-making process and help construct proof. It offers a variety of views on the power and potential for proofmaking, motivation, and the general rhetorical application of topics and commonplaces in environmental rhetoric after all, as Killingsworth and Palmer established, environmental rhetoric is really all about influencing decision-making. The book considers the relevance of topic-driven rhetoric to our everyday, modern lives by looking at parallels between the traditional commonplace and the modern concept of the meme. It presents an overview of proof-as-topic as a way to show how topic-driven environmental rhetoric works in practice, and suggests ways in which rhetoricians might draw upon the topic of "proof" as a valuable argumentative tool. The book addresses four overarching areas of common topics in technical communication and environmental rhetoric: framing, place, risk and uncertainty, and sustainability.
