> Malcolm Gladwell also cherry picks research findings and observations and uses them to support some narrative
I'm mixed about this. I feel like this critic is true for any book. Books are not research papers.
Re:On Technical Writing
by maxerickson on Tuesday December 31, 2019 @10:58AM
(#21921882)
When a book is presented as a popularization of science, it's reasonable to expect that it is evenhanded with the evidence that is available when it is written.
Gladwell would probably end up making his books stand up better to criticism without making them any less interesting. It's fun to read about how much practice talented people have done. The problem is when you distill that down to a soundbite that sounds like a conclusion.
Re:On Technical Writing
by tonystubblebine on Tuesday December 31, 2019 @11:50AM
(#21922398)
I watched his Master Class and at no point does he even mention getting it right as a goal. His writing tips are only about making it interesting, memorable and shareable.
IMO, he's breaking the Spiderman rule of morality, "With great power comes great responsibility."
He's putting out intellectual versions of fraudulent ear worms without any sense of responsibility.
I agree with your points about blogging generally though. I've sort of gotten away from doing short/casual stuff in favor of articles for pubs. This isn't entirely a bad thing as I get more reach that way but it means I've sort of dropped shorter and more eclectic writing which I should get back to.