In his second clause, Burke states that man is “Inventor of the negative” (LSA 9) but then he corrects his statement asserting that “language and the negative ‘invented’ man” (LSA 9). He emphasizes the futility and the absurdity of attempting to identify negatives in nature because “The negative is a function peculiar to symbol systems” (LSA 9). Then, Burke mentions that according to Bergson, one of the prime uses of the negative is related to “unfulfilled expectations” (LSA 9). Surprisingly, Burke offers examples from everyday life (such as what temperature the thermometer reads: not 54) and makes no reference to Freud’s “castration complex” (“Narcissism” 48). In the scene of seeing which he places at the heart of how the little boy, in his narcissistic investment in his organ, perceives the little girl as a castrated boy. His first reaction is one of lack of interest, but later he looks for what he does not see. His discovery is that the little girl is castrated; hence, his drama (that is, his fear of castration). Having said this, and considering Burke’s assertion true, one can argue that Freud is the inventor of the “unconscious” (un- prefix that marks negation) and that the unconscious Lacan and other psychoanalysts discuss is also a creation. Psychoanalysts may strongly disagree with Burke.
The negativity in the ability to utilize words and irony, as in the example Burke offers: “What a beautiful day!” (LSA 12) could be perceived (depending on the auditor’s motive) as positive: numerous people see as “beautiful” a day which others perceive as “bad.” Charles Baudelaire perceived as poetic terms which were not viewed as such by his contemporaries.
Another of Burke’s ideas which I would like to touch on is negative motivation. One could argue that the “birth of the prison” (discussed by Michel Foucault in the book having as title the words in quotations) and the Panopticon may illustrate the negativistic aspect of discipline and punishment.
Finally, I will refer to “positive powers” that have a negative result (Burke LSA 12-13) by utilizing Veblen’s term “trained incapacity.” Burke presented the negative effect of trained incapacity in P&C I believe. Although the term is not negative, it has a negative connotation.
What Burke leaves out: the negative connotation in words such as “problem,” which is viewed as “something not good” or “but,” which signals a turn from something positive to something negative or vice versa. Neither “problem” nor “but” has an antithetical term to which they can be attached.