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Looking Again at Clarity in Philosophy: Writing as a Shaper and Sharpener of Thought

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 November 2014

Valerie Hobbs
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Abstract

Bryan Magee's recent paper ‘Clarity in Philosophy’ argues that instead of focusing on clarity at the sentence level, writers should emphasize formulating their ideas clearly before any writing takes place. In part using text-analysis of three well-known philosophers, I will uphold Magee's assertion that clear writing is not necessary in order to be considered a great philosopher. On the other hand, I will challenge his ideas regarding the relationship between language and cognition by reflecting on ways in which writing aids the development of ideas.

Type
Discussion
Information
Philosophy , Volume 90 , Issue 1 , January 2015 , pp. 135 - 142
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Copyright
Copyright © The Royal Institute of Philosophy 2014 

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References

1 ‘Clarity in Philosophy’, Philosophy 89 (2014), 451–462.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

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5 Some readers are likely to disagree with Magee's assessment of these three philosophers' clarity of writing and of ideas. That aside, examining the textual features of these three very different writers helps the reader come to her own conclusions about the interplay between discursive and presentational clarity.

6 Op. cit. note 4, 80.

7 Different disciplines have different conceptions of clarity. In this paper, as I mentioned earlier, I am referring only to clarity as defined within philosophy.

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