tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post1651687653161226919..comments2024-03-19T07:48:54.021-06:00Comments on Gus Van Horn: Thoughts on General AudiencesGus Van Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05126749051688217781noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post-2527219513057330102014-01-02T11:26:48.240-06:002014-01-02T11:26:48.240-06:00‘This level of clarity is impossible, given the hi...‘This level of clarity is impossible, given the hierarchical nature of concepts, and the fact that most controversial topics involve disagreements about high-level philosophical abstractions.’<br /><br />Not to mention that the basic grammatical rules for phrases, sentences and paragraphs, we learned in elementary school, do not permit this level of clarity. It would require 70 word sentences and would STILL be vulnerable to having words added, removed or changed.<br /><br />As I noted in a previous comment it takes only a single word (sometimes only a single punctuation mark) to change the entire meaning of a sentence or paragraph.<br /><br />Be as clear as you can. Writing makes this easier than speaking which is why I always take interviews and speeches with a grain of salt. Perhaps the key to deciding when to spend time defending yourself is when the circumstances make it likely that a reasonable person in your intended audience might be led astray.<br /><br />‘When one writes, one has to find the right limits for the amount of explanation he offers or he will never get around to making an original point.<br /><br />This is yet another reason, it is crucial to identify and understand your audience, carefully and target your level of explanation accordingly. <br />Steve Dnoreply@blogger.com