On 22 Feb 00, at 16:31, Jeremy Bowman wrote:
> Don’t let slovenly writing get you down: if it isn’t damn clear, it probably
> no damn good.
Yes, I know it's not particularly fair to highlight this particular
sentence...bit still, I couldn't resist.
I'm also a little concerned about the supposedly easy distinction
between clear (=good) and complicated (=bad). On the one hand
there is a complaint about grammar and style and on the other an
equation between difficulty and obscurantism; an equation which is
not, I think, absolutely true. If the logic of this argument were taken
to its logical conclusion then presumably we would conclude that
philosophy should be reduced to some kind of 5-star marking
system a la popular film reviews. This, of course, does not excuse
poor expression or faulty grammar (nor does it excuse ignorance of
the basic terms of a professional field).
Yours
David
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