Saturday 9 January 2016

Attempts at Liberty (2) - Writing Policy

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The idea of the book is to be of interest to the broad public, as well as to persons with more specialised concerns, such as philosophers, political scientists or economists. 

The greatest changes that I will be forced to make to my current writing is that I shall have to be more lucid (less arcane, especially in terminology and levels of abstraction). My writing needs to become more graphic, giving far more place to examples, and the discussion of problems and prospects from the perspective of the everyday reader - always keeping in mind what the ordinary reader might mean when she asks herself "what is in it for me".  

Each chapter, and perhaps even each section or paragraph ought to be written with an interesting point to be made in mind.

The Title may be expanded to read
Attempts at Liberty - Her Paradoxes and Her Role in Modern Civilisation

Attempts at Liberty

Her Paradoxes

and

Her Role in Our Civilisation

Or maybe: 

Attempts at Liberty

The Paradoxes of Freedom

and 

Her Role in Our Civilisation

In pursuit of the writing policy set out in the present post, the first essay should be short, graphic, compulsory reading and an entry drug, leaving so strong an impression with the reader that she will be eager to continue with the remainder of the book.

Brevity is of the essence, as it comes with two decisive advantages - the reader is rewarded by having accomplished the conclusion of an act of knowledge enhancement. She is not bobbing up and down in open sea, with no safe and pleasing destination in sight. Instead, she is making short delightful trips from port to port. 

The requirement of brevity forces me to create a compact and entertaining experience for the reader, and focus on clarity and incisiveness.

The theme of paradoxes appears promising.

How about this for starters:
We understand freedom best by tracking her paradoxes. Much more is to be learned from freedom by paying attention to what she IS NOT, than by seeking enlightenment from that complete account of her so many have been seeking and no one has ever delivered. The more detailed and exhaustive the map we draw of her, the worse the guidance to be had from it. More paradoxical still, any effort to think about freedom removes us from her, by giant strides or a minute hiatus, as the case may be. As we mean to grab her she remains untouchable and evasive like your own shadow. Any description one gives of her is only one among an infinite variety of other possible descriptions. To be surrounded by freedom is something distinct from putting one's finger on her. Freedom makes us compete for her meaning. She is not for hire to the happy owner of her only true face. Pinning her down is not the way to make oneself familiar with her. To the contrary, it is by getting to know freedom's fading echoes, gaps, and contradictions that we bring us closer to her nature, her place in our society, her relationship with oneself. 
Too abstract, somehow, is it not?

Be this as it may, I need to come up with a workable Gliederung (table of content) that takes me every day closer to completion.

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