There are many, many books about writing in the world. He was interviewed by Gareth Cook, the editor of Mind Matters. In Pinker’s hands, we do not feel ordered around capriciously, but truly guided by an inspiring teacher. He does this with affection and enthusiasm. Instead, he shows readers how to take apart a piece of fine writing to see what makes it tick. Scientists, after all, still know relatively little about the ways dark squiggles communicate ideas.
Yet he does not push this method beyond its natural limits. Readers can thus have some assurance that Pinker’s advice is good, and, knowing the reasons why, they will be more likely to know when a rule should be broken. In his new book, “ The Sense of Style,” he draws on research, and particularly his deep knowledge of linguistics, to give his writing principles a scientific basis. Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker takes a different approach, one that is both more ambitious and more modest.
They offer plenty of concrete rules, but why, a reader might ask, should the rules be followed? The answer is usually “because” - as in, “because I say so.” This, of course, is where humanity found itself before the advent of the scientific method: the mystics spoke, and everyone had to decide for themselves whom to believe. Writing guides tend to be pretty unsatisfying.
0 kommentar(er)
