Academic Voice
I’ve hit a bit of writer’s block today. I have ideas for stories I want to write, but I’m lacking the energy to develop them to the point that they make sense. It makes me think of an expression I know I’ve used before, but I don’t remember who to give credit. I don’t always like writing, but I do enjoy having written. So I went back and looked at pieces of my dissertation, which I finished five years ago.
Holy smokes. It wasn’t until I wrote that sentence that I realized it had been that long. That thing took up so much of my energy for so long, it’s hard to believe that I’ve done so much since it was done.
On the other hand, that helps explain why re-reading it tonight felt a little alien. I recognized my thoughts and beliefs. But I haven’t tried to use that technical “academic” voice to express my thoughts in so long. I kind of wonder how long it would take me to find that voice again if I were to use it. When I write here on Not News, or I write something to help explain something to my students, I try to generalize and avoid jargon. I am deliberately painting in broader strokes to introduce a topic rather than getting very precise to discuss details with an audience that is already very familiar with it. I think I tend to prefer the more general voice. Part of the reason is that jargon helps cut experts off from the people who might benefit from their expertise. But taking the voice of the popularizer also kind of allows you to set yourself up as having a position of authority over the audience. I understand this, and you don’t, so let me explain it to you. For someone to correct you, they’d have to go find out from other sources why you’re wrong. But if you’re writing for an audience that knows the same background that you do, you better know what you’re talking about or be prepared to be called on it. There’s something a little exhilarating about that. I probably need to find that voice again a little bit. I don’t know if I’ll do it in philosophy or education or find a way to combine them. If Dewey could, I can probably take a shot at it, right?
About Dave Thomer
Born and raised in Philadelphia. Studied philosophy at Fordham University in the Bronx, where I made many great friends and met my wonderful wife. We moved back to Philadelphia, where I studied philosophy some more and became a teacher. Online and off, I'm looking for ways that we can be better citizens and build stronger communities.