Writing with Style

Apply these principles from Steven Pinker's "The Sense of Style" to produce clear, engaging prose.

Classic Style: The Core Philosophy

Prose is a window onto the world. The writer has seen something the reader hasn't noticed; the writer orients the reader's gaze so they can see it for themselves.

The Classic Style Stance:

• Purpose: Presentation of truth, not persuasion
• Motive: Disinterested truth (even if you have an agenda, don't show it)
• Writer's role: Show, don't argue
• Reader assumption: Competent, can recognize truth when shown
• Communication model: Conversation, not lecture