FWIW, I think posts like this are more valuable the more they include real-world examples; it’s kind of odd to read a post which says I had theory A of the world but now I hold theory B, without reading about the actual observations. It would be like reading a history of quantum mechanics or relativity with all mentions of things like the laser or double-slit experiment or Edding or Michelson-Morley removed.
I thought it was fine in that regard: but it may be that I’m reading it on the level where “fashion” is an example and you’re reading it on the level where “I went to the bar and got this girl’s number because of my nice suit” is an example. The latter sort seem like the things that would clutter up the post without adding value- it’s hard to question “I have noticed that people treat me better now that I bathe regularly” but it’s trivial to question specific instances like “The bus driver smiled at me after I started bathing regularly” because, come on, that study only has n=1! Why should we take it seriously?
Clear writing needs a both concrete examples, to anchor meaning, and abstract discussion to indicate the size of the set in which the concrete example is a point.
It may well be true that attention to personal hygiene makes traveling more pleasant, but the point comes across much more clearly if it is illustrated with the example “The bus driver smiled at me after I started bathing regularly” (We should notice how the example introduces redundancy and this is a good thing because it works against misunderstanding. The abstract statement could be misunderstood as saying “attention to personal hygiene makes traveling more pleasant for the travelers companions”. The example makes it clear that the author means more pleasant for the traveler himself. Notice too that this extra clarity is both easily written and easily read. Three cheers for examples)
Perhaps that should be two cheers for examples. Examples on their own are crap. They are like an obscure synecdoche. They give the illusion of meaning because they are specific and concrete, a yet the author actually had a more general point in mind and we do not know what it was because he did not say. Was it that traveling gets easier or that people treat him better and why bathing? Is the author penning a rant against showers?
I’m not trying to critise Vanviver, I’m just having a mini-rant about the importance of writing both scoped abstraction and anchoring examples.
After further thought, I came to realization—almost every time I’ve threatened someone (which is rarely), it’s worked.
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I don’t have any personal anecdotes or data about threatening people from a non-moral high ground, but history provides a number of examples, and the threats often work.
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I used to rebel against that until I wizened up, studied a little fashion and aesthetics, and started dressing to produce outcomes.
FWIW, I think posts like this are more valuable the more they include real-world examples; it’s kind of odd to read a post which says I had theory A of the world but now I hold theory B, without reading about the actual observations. It would be like reading a history of quantum mechanics or relativity with all mentions of things like the laser or double-slit experiment or Edding or Michelson-Morley removed.
I thought it was fine in that regard: but it may be that I’m reading it on the level where “fashion” is an example and you’re reading it on the level where “I went to the bar and got this girl’s number because of my nice suit” is an example. The latter sort seem like the things that would clutter up the post without adding value- it’s hard to question “I have noticed that people treat me better now that I bathe regularly” but it’s trivial to question specific instances like “The bus driver smiled at me after I started bathing regularly” because, come on, that study only has n=1! Why should we take it seriously?
Clear writing needs a both concrete examples, to anchor meaning, and abstract discussion to indicate the size of the set in which the concrete example is a point.
It may well be true that attention to personal hygiene makes traveling more pleasant, but the point comes across much more clearly if it is illustrated with the example “The bus driver smiled at me after I started bathing regularly” (We should notice how the example introduces redundancy and this is a good thing because it works against misunderstanding. The abstract statement could be misunderstood as saying “attention to personal hygiene makes traveling more pleasant for the travelers companions”. The example makes it clear that the author means more pleasant for the traveler himself. Notice too that this extra clarity is both easily written and easily read. Three cheers for examples)
Perhaps that should be two cheers for examples. Examples on their own are crap. They are like an obscure synecdoche. They give the illusion of meaning because they are specific and concrete, a yet the author actually had a more general point in mind and we do not know what it was because he did not say. Was it that traveling gets easier or that people treat him better and why bathing? Is the author penning a rant against showers?
I’m not trying to critise Vanviver, I’m just having a mini-rant about the importance of writing both scoped abstraction and anchoring examples.
Tradeoff between brevity and depth.
Any point in particular you’re curious about? I’m happy to elaborate or answer questions.
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