The article seeks to explore the role played by the rhetorical modes of ethos and pathos when scientific knowledge is constructed in public discourse. A case study is presented on the public debate in Germany on possible risks to bees from neonicotinoid pesticides, focusing especially on a detailed analysis of scientific knowledge claims found in texts produced by two lobbying groups involved. The findings indicate distinctive rhetorical patterns in the context of scientific truth claims realising, for example, appeals to concern and the display of scientific competence and integrity.

In this article we address the notion of questions and answers in written texts as it contributes to the construction of scientific knowledge in public discourse. Looking at two different text types, we explore the interactional aspect of knowledge construction manifested in the texts through the general principles of asking and answering as well as the rhetorical application of the mechanisms detected in public discourse: As an illustrative case we analyse “rapid reactions” of scientists made available by journalists as well as Q&As from environmental organisations, industrial corporations, lobbying groups, and the media in the public debate over glyphosate in Germany. The results show a wide range of rhetorical functions and point at the relevance and the extensive potential of questions and answers as rhetorical tools for knowledge construction in public discourses about scientific knowledge.

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