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I want to tell you about how style indicates that the subject about
which you're writing is something about which you probably haven't
really thought sifficiently before you started writing. If you start
writing that way, while you're writing you might look like you're
actually trying to figure out what is is you think about the subject
before you know what you think about it. Is it thinking out loud, or is
it just an open struggle to keep your writing a reflection of what the
topic is about, and not meander into territory in which you're more
comfortable?
At the same time, it's certainly possible to write what some people
would call correct sentences. You might even have a paragraph that is
totally correct, or even all (or most, let's say) of them could be
correct. The importance of correctly written sentences and paragraphs
cannot be understated. They are the hallmark of good writing, and
indicate that you have a solid grasp of the written word. Wasn't it
Aristotle who said that he has never thought fully on a subject until he
has written on it?
Many philosophers have weighed in on the value of clear writing. I
suppose that's because philosophy depends so heavily on the written
word. It could be argued that before the written word there was no
philosophy per se, only religion and tradition. In that sense, one can
leap to the argument that without writing the overwhelming bulk of
technology in our society would have never occurred, and could not
possibly stand today. So while writing can be viewed as a mental
prosthetic, it's clear that humanity has achieved many wonderful things
as a result. In other words, Socrates was wrong.
I hope I have made myself perfectly clear.
I would now like to present a loose quote of Donald Rumsfeld - a man
entrusted with shocking and awesome force. (Sorry, I don't have the
source at hand, but believe me - this isn't far off the mark.)
"There are the knowns and the unknowns. Among the unknowns there are
the known unknowns and the unknown unknowns. It's the unknown unknowns
we know we really don't know much about."
--
Chris Despopoulos, maker of CudSpan Freeware...
Plugins to Enhance FrameMaker & FrameMaker+SGML http://www.telecable.es/personales/cud/
cud -at- telecable -dot- es
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