Sheridan claims that such "animal passions" are a universal thing (says emotions are "the same in all nations" in the next column), but this strikes me more as a cultural technique. (What also of those who don't experience emotions in the same way? Sociopaths or otherwise?)

Or nothing but material difference (paper) between them ;)

Like kmurphy1, I was thinking Ong would likely disagree on this matter, but Astell does make room for their differences as "talents which do not always meet." For all the functional differences (oral vs pen and paper, intangible vs tangible), does Astell see them both as means of communication and therefore only different in those functions?

Brings to mind Rickert's rhetorics and Siegert's cultural techniques