Writing: Friend or Foe?

1
Writing Friend or Foe?

• Advanced Rhetorical Writing
• Matt Barton

2
The Invention of Writing

• How are writing and speaking related?
• Is writing a reflection or reminder of what
  was originally spoken discourse?
• Can writing truly teach you something that you
  didnt already know?
• How does writing affect memory?
• Does it help you remember things that you might
  forget it you didnt write down?
• Does it help you forget things by encouraging you
  not to exercise your memory?

3
Theuth Myth

• The Egyptian inventor Theuth offers the invention
  of writing to the god Thamus, claiming that it
  will
• will make the Egyptians wiser and will improve
  their memories for it is an elixir of memory and
  wisdom that I have discovered.
• Thamus responds
• This will invention will produce
  forgetfulnessYou offer your pupils the
  appearance of wisdom but not true wisdom.

4
Writing vs. Speaking

• We can easily read and memorize texts that we
  dont understand at all
• Space is not a conception which has been derived
  from outward experiences
• From Kants Critique of Pure Reason
• A global analysis of the solar neutrino data from
  all solar neutrino experiments combined with the
  KamLAND data is presented assuming that the solar
  neutrino deficit is due to the matter-enhanced
  spin-flavour precession effect.
• Nuclear physics journal

5
Writing cant Talk Back

• Writing is like the people in a paintingthey
  cant talk back, answer questions, and clarify
  points like a speaker could.
• Writing is dead, whereas speech is living.
• Writing needs its father to help it for it has
  no power to protect or help itself.

6
Writing as a Playful Reminder

• Writing is only good if it serves a treasure of
  reminders of ones past memories.
• The garden of letters he will plant for
  amusement.
• Written texts shouldnt be taken seriously.

7
The Serious Pursuit

• If a writer has written with knowledge of the
  truth,
• And is able to support his points with actual
  discussion,
• And can prove via speech that the written words
  are worth very little
• We ought to respect such a person not for his
  writings, but rather the expertise and hard work
  required to make them.

8
Images of the Truth

• Spoken words are one step removed from the truth
• Written words are one step removed from speech
• A poor understanding based on readings is one
  step further removed!
• In other words, its like making a copy of a copy
  of a copy