Ethic of Expediency

This article is a rhetorical analysis performed by Katz in regards to a memo issued by the Nazis to perform executions of Jews in a gas van. It is obvious to most people that Hitler and the Nazis were seriously lacking in ethical judgments, however Katz uses this article to try to uncover why that is, and how to avoid another even like the Holocaust in the future through technical writing.

Katz explains how the writer of this memo takes on a Nazi ethos in order to have an authoritative tone. He also uses the passive voice which Katz suggests is a way for him to distance himself from the actions he is describing. In a way, the passive voice and the Nazi persona allow the author to avoid having to make an ethical decision regarding the memo he is creating.

It is also interesting to note that the writer of the memo is clearly influenced by societal values. Katz want to make sure that his readers understand the importance of society and culture when it comes to technical writing and ethical decisions. At the time, it was a cultural norm in Germany for Jews to be executed, so the author of the memo has no choice but to be influenced by what society tells him is acceptable. This goes along with the idea that virtue is socially constructed, so if society does not have an ethical problem with killing Jews, that virtue is reflected throughout the entire society.

Katz uses the example of the Holocaust memo in order to show the influence technical writing can have on an entire community. Technical writing is unique because it always leads to action, which can therefore directly affect human life. For this reason, technical writers must take ethics into account before publishing their works to the world. There needs to be an increased awareness of ethics in order to avoid another tragedy like the Holocaust. This awareness can be achieved through the help of teachers and professors. By teaching writing students about the importance of ethics, they will be able to better understand the relationship it has with writing and will be able to apply that information to their professional lives.