This paper assumes that the key to the understanding of the works of the early Enlightenment philosopher Johann Christoph Gottsched (1700-1766) does not lie in his poetological works, which were preferably read and criticized by his contemporaries, but rather, besides his grammatological works, in his writings on oratory, in particular in the Ausfuhrliche Redekunst of 1759. This paper interprets these works as an attempt to save the art of rhetoric which was on the verge of extinction and to bring it forth into the 'Critical Age' ('kritisches Zeitalter'), and, furthermore, to establish a concept of rational scientific oratory which would stand in strict contrast to the ancient topica on the one hand and to the contemporary courtly 'Complimentierkunst' on the other. Therefore, the main point of focus becomes the paradox of a claim for truth and effectiveness, problematized by the timeless quandary of knowledge transfer. Accordingly, the paper attempts to demonstrate this problem's actuality and thus the value of Gottsched's concepts of rhetoric for the modern production of (rather popular) scientific texts.
