Miller, C. R. (1979). A humanistic rationale for technical writing. College English, 40(6), (pp. 610-617). doi:10.2307/375964.

In Carolyn R. Miller’s (1979) article “A Humanistic Rationale for Technical Writing,” she argued “that the common opinion that the undergraduate technical writing course is a ‘skills’ course with little or no humanistic value is the result of a lingering but pervasive positivist view of science” (p. 610). Miller supported her theory by distinguishing between the “inartistic proofs” of science and the “artistic proofs” of rhetoric, linking the windowpane theory of language to the acquisition of knowledge, and dismembering the problems within the positivist legacy (p. 613). Miller’s purpose was to tear apart the holes within the positivist perspective of teaching technical writing so that she could effectively purpose a consensualist solution. Miller’s intended audience was individuals interested in the humanistic qualities of technical writing and the logistics of teaching technical writing. Miller presented a clearly laid out argument with well established claims, which made her article easy to understand and agree with.