QUOTE
"I won't continue through the passage. It is bad throughout. What I hated about teaching was having to wade through garbage like this. How does one explain to an incompetent writer what competent writing is?"
Full Version: Destiny
The Maverick Philosopher today on philosophy in Wikipedia http://maverickphilosopher.typepad.com/mav...-wikipedia.html
"I won't continue through the passage. It is bad throughout. What I hated about teaching was having to wade through garbage like this. How does one explain to an incompetent writer what competent writing is?"
"I won't continue through the passage. It is bad throughout. What I hated about teaching was having to wade through garbage like this. How does one explain to an incompetent writer what competent writing is?"
Nice blog entry.
I skimmed the Wikipedia article but I think it had something to do with Charmed and Battlestar Galactica.
I skimmed the Wikipedia article but I think it had something to do with Charmed and Battlestar Galactica.
QUOTE(Peter Damian @ Sat 18th February 2012, 8:06am) 
The Maverick Philosopher today on philosophy in Wikipedia http://maverickphilosopher.typepad.com/mav...-wikipedia.html
QUOTE
"I won't continue through the passage. It is bad throughout. What I hated about teaching was having to wade through garbage like this. How does one explain to an incompetent writer what competent writing is?"
As a sometimes paid editor, and one who has taught writing and composition, first you must have their attention.
Then you take a pencil to one of their sentences and bring into it life and vigor. That usually provides enough motivation.
QUOTE(Peter Damian @ Sat 18th February 2012, 4:06pm)
The Maverick Philosopher today on philosophy in Wikipedia http://maverickphilosopher.typepad.com/mav...-wikipedia.html
QUOTE
"I won't continue through the passage. It is bad throughout. What I hated about teaching was having to wade through garbage like this. How does one explain to an incompetent writer what competent writing is?"
I don't know what makes writing good or bad, I just know what I like. The quoted Wikipedia entry made my eyes glaze over.
QUOTE(TungstenCarbide @ Sat 18th February 2012, 5:50pm)
QUOTE(Peter Damian @ Sat 18th February 2012, 4:06pm)
The Maverick Philosopher today on philosophy in Wikipedia http://maverickphilosopher.typepad.com/mav...-wikipedia.html
QUOTE
"I won't continue through the passage. It is bad throughout. What I hated about teaching was having to wade through garbage like this. How does one explain to an incompetent writer what competent writing is?"
I don't know what makes writing good or bad, I just know what I like. The quoted Wikipedia entry made my eyes glaze over.
He didn't say bad, he said 'incompetent'.
QUOTE(Zoloft @ Sat 18th February 2012, 5:46pm)
As a sometimes paid editor, and one who has taught writing and composition, first you must have their attention.
Then you take a pencil to one of their sentences and bring into it life and vigor. That usually provides enough motivation.
Except at Wikipedia, it provides motivation for the offending editor to gather his allies for massive retaliation.
This is what you need, more actual philosophers looking at Wikipedia articles about philosophy closely,
and realizing they are incoherent. And talking about it. Logic and epistemology, among other areas, are places
where bad writing is not merely bad---it makes the whole endeavour pointless.
It shows where Wikipedia falls down badly. When it's spewing statistics or the names of frigging
Codename: Kids Next Door episodes, crowdsourcing works. Anything more subtle or complex
is a major issue with the "magic" of crowdsourcing.
For some things, you must have an expert. Wikipedia will go to its digital grave, refusing to admit that.
and realizing they are incoherent. And talking about it. Logic and epistemology, among other areas, are places
where bad writing is not merely bad---it makes the whole endeavour pointless.
It shows where Wikipedia falls down badly. When it's spewing statistics or the names of frigging
Codename: Kids Next Door episodes, crowdsourcing works. Anything more subtle or complex
is a major issue with the "magic" of crowdsourcing.
For some things, you must have an expert. Wikipedia will go to its digital grave, refusing to admit that.
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