Speech at the 2015 National Communication Association

The 2015 National Communication Association (NCA) met at the Rio Las Vegas in November 2015. I presented a paper about the argumentation that underlies the unjustified Sandy Hook conspiracy theories. My thesis was that conspiracy theorists try to shift the burden of proof to compensate for their lack of evidence. I also had the honor to represent the Philosophy of Communication Division on the NCA's Legislative Assembly.

One highlight of the convention was an excellent (although poorly attended) film series. David Zarefsky gave an excellent presentation about Abraham Lincoln's rhetoric. The Carroll C. Arnold lecture, by Arvind Singha, looked at how we can better understand problems by flipping questions. Singha, who is a specialist in health communication, showed how a small number of people succeed in difficult circumstances. Instead of looking at the many cases where people fail under difficult circumstances, Singha looks for the few people who succeed even when failure is the norm, so that lessons can be learned from them. It's an interesting idea.

I tell my students that conventions in their various fields are indispensable opportunities. It's great to read about people's work, but there is no substitute for making direct human contact.

The casino was right in the middle of everything, so I had to walk past the slot machines and blackjack tables to get to the programs, or, for that matter, just to eat lunch. The gambling did not interest me at all. In Ocean's 11, Vegas gambling looks like fun. In real life, most of the gamblers looked bored and worried.

And--an extra treat--here was the view from my hotel window: