atw: Re: Tell the U.S. Marines to Getz Tuft

Well, we know how sexist St Paul was!  I much prefer charity.

There is an implicit assumption in a lot of this debate that clarity is
sacrificed on the altar of grace and tone - but why?  Grace is pointless
without clear thought, and clear thought is equally pointless without grace.


Put alchemically, and to under-quote Mary Anne Atwood, true alchemy is clear
thought, clear emotions and will in equal measure.  These three together
change base metals into gold. 

Put spiritually, Taoism, as reported in the I Ching, says something similar
to this.

Put more psychologically, we are talking about right/left brain balance.

Put more sociologically, we are talking about "thinker" and "feeler"
balance.

Put more earthily, I reject the notion that something is stupid just BECAUSE
it is pretty.  Look at Elle.

This is not an either/or debate, it is about balance, in our case of
aesthetics AND intellectual clarity to achieve a changed state in the
reader.  The emotions of the reader have to be taken into account in any
readability debate.

ck 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:austechwriter-
> bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Michael Lewis
> Sent: Wednesday, 24 October 2007 5:56 PM
> To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: atw: Re: Tell the U.S. Marines to Getz Tuft
> 
> You are right, Christine, to bring aesthetics into it. But, to quote
> myself misquoting St Paul: And now abideth Grace, Tone, Clarity, these
> three; and the greatest of these is Clarity.
> 
> The presentation must be inviting; the style must be accessible. But if
> you sacrifice clarity in the pursuit of those goals, you have failed
> the reader.
> 
> (Of course, literary fiction and poetry are quite different
> propositions. But technical communication must communicate. Clearly.)
> 
> - Michael
> 
> 
> Michael Lewis
> ------------------------
> Department of Linguistics
> Macquarie University
> 
> Tel (02) 9850 7856
> mailto:michael.lewis@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> ------------------------
> 
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