This groundbreaking collection of essays is one of the first works to reflect directly and systematically on the conceptual and ethical basis for composition studies as a new discipline of written language. Phelps articulates a philosophy of composition generous enough to accommodate all the strands of current work without being overly eclectic--an open framework subject to modification and addition as the field develops. She draws on wide reading in the humanities and social sciences--including cognitive science, linguistics, literary theory, education, philosophy, hermeneutics, rhetoric, and psychology--to define the contribution and place of composition studies within the larger intellectual and cultural community. The book will therefore interest theorists and scholars in a wide variety of fields.