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

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

For the Progress of “Faustus and Helen”: Crane, Whitman, and the Metropolitan Progress Poem

This essay is meant to invigorate a critical discussion of the progress poem—a genre that, while prevalent in American literature, has been virtually ignored by critics and scholars. In lieu of tackling the genre in its entirety, a project too large for just one article, the author focuses the argument through the well-known alignment between Walt Whitman and Hart Crane on the subject of the modern city. It is through the progress poem genre that Crane and Whitman’s peculiar place in metropolitan poetics can best be understood, and it is through their poetry that scholars can begin to approach the broader issue of the progress poem’s place in American literature. Cet article vise à soulever un débat critique au sujet de la poésie du progrès, un genre courant dans la littérature étatsunienne, mais pratiquement ignoré par les critiques et les commentateurs. Plutôt que d’aborder le genre dans son entièreté – un projet qui déborde du cadre d’un article –, l’auteur resserre l’argumentation autour du parallèle bien connu entre Walt Whitman et Hart Crane concernant le traitement de la ville moderne. C’est la poésie du progrès en tant que genre qui permet le mieux de comprendre la place particulière qu’occupent ces deux auteurs dans la poésie métropolitaine, et c’est par leurs poèmes que les chercheurs peuvent aborder la question plus vaste de la place du poème sur le progrès dans la littérature étatsunienne

Governmental Institutions as Agents of Change: Rethinking American Political Development in the Early Republic, 1787-1835

During the past few years, a new generation of historians have turned their attention to the influence of law, public policy, and public administration in American life in the period between 1787 and 1835. The purpose of this essay is to highlight the contributions of these scholars in the hope that such an inquiry can further the ongoing interdisciplinary dialogue on American political development between historians, political scientists, and historical sociologists

Problem-Solving: The Debates in Composition and Psychology

's debate about problem-solving is one of the most interesting controversies in composition literature. Sparked by Lauer's CoUegeCompositionand Communication article, "Heuristics and Composition," the exchange includes several essays by Berthoff as well as responses and counter-responses by both writers. Lauer asserts, "Unless both the testmakers and the teachers of composition investigate beyond the field of English, beyond even the area of rhetorical studies for the solution to the composition problem, they will find themselves wandering in an endless maze" (396). In rebuttal, Berthoff warns of the dangers of using problemsolving as a pedagogical tool. In "The Problem of Problem Solving" she cautions, "When we make problem-solving central to a philosophy of education we effectively separate learning from knowing: the results are philosophically disastrous and politically dangerous" (240). Even though this exchange occurred in the seventies, Berthoff's and Lauer's dialogue is still intriguing and important as well as relevant to more recent arguments about problem-solving in composition literature and in psychological studies. As Lauer's bibliography indicates, psychologists pioneered the study of and continue to investigate problem-solving. However, psychologists have not always agreed about the nature and usefulness of problemsolving. In fact, the history of twentieth-eentury psychology can be traced by outlining different psychological views of problem-solving. Similarly, even composition theorists who agree on its usefulness in teaching writing have not always held identical views about what problem-solving is. In this essay, we will delineate various conceptions of and arguments about problem-solving and propose a means for dealing with these conflicts. First, we outline several ways writing specialists who advocate problem-solving have viewed it; second, we discuss the criticisms of those who, along with Berthoff, find fault with using problem-solving in composition instructions; third, we propose resolving some of these conflicts by viewing problemsolving from the perspective of an internal-extemal validity continuum; and fourth, we examine arguments in the psychological problem-solving literature which parallel the disagreements in composition studies. This review should lead to a better understanding of the issues surrounding problem-solving, both in theory and practice