Some thoughts on the unbearable dullness of academic writing, inspired by a recent advice column in @DailyNousEditor.
Did you know there was a State Supreme Court Justice who wrote opinions in rhyme?
Why is Academic Writing Boring? by @ZoharAtkins whatiscalledthinking.substack.com/p/why-is-acade…
Did you know there was a State Supreme Court Justice who wrote opinions in rhyme?
Why is Academic Writing Boring? by @ZoharAtkins whatiscalledthinking.substack.com/p/why-is-acade…
To be clear, not all academic writing is dull, but most is. The issue is, in great part, incentives.
At best, writing in an entertaining manner is a bonus.
At worst, it raises eyebrows.
Using @robinhanson's work on signaling we might suggest that the dullness is the point:
At best, writing in an entertaining manner is a bonus.
At worst, it raises eyebrows.
Using @robinhanson's work on signaling we might suggest that the dullness is the point:
It's a way of showing one's loyalty to one's discipline and profession by sacrificing any hope of being positively received by the outside world (similar to religious observance). 3
We should not be surprised that "serious scholars" regard popularizers with the same suspicion that religious fundamentalists show assimilationists. 4
Alternatively, the dulness functions like the anti-aesthetics of the doctor's white robe, the beige of hospital walls. With nothing to distract the viewer, the viewer feels a sense of authoritative weight--regardless of whether it is deserved.
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