Argument

Boyle says that his book “ultimately proposes […] a framework for rendering explicit rhetorical practice as an exercise in developing sense and sensibilities for emerging forms of embodiment” (p. 20), as well as “[reframes] the terms of practice that accompany the traditional humanist body to become more sensible (sense-able) to the bodies that slip outside of traditional humanist orientations” (p. 5). He is arguing that current rhetorical traditions are too focused on the “human” aspect of rhetoric as well as reflection and theory, and are failing to grow with the new age. Boyle argues that new digital technology has grown to the point that it can now be considered its own body and that with the development of social media, there are new aspects of rhetoric that are being ignored in preference to traditional rhetoric. He believes that writers should not separate themselves from technology but rather see technology as a body of its own, and to turn to practice over reflection in order to help these new bodies grow and develop.

Rhetoric as a Posthuman Practice moves easily along from subject to subject, and Boyle takes great care in attempting to explain each concept and idea of his book to his audience. There are moments where Boyle lingers on a subject for a paragraph or two longer than perhaps is necessary while explaining other concepts with more conciseness. Despite these moments, Boyle’s writing style is quite sophisticated and analytical, displaying how much time and research have gone into writing this book. He leads his audience through each and every section of this book much like a guide, attempting to get his readers to question each concept and find answers for themselves as to how posthumanism as a practice can fit in with current rhetorical traditions.