Harvard University Discusses Having Knowledge, When Someone Else Does Not Know What You Know

Photo: Connie Yan

Jill E. Abramson '76, former executive editor of The New York Times, and Steven Pinker, Johnstone Family psychology professor, discuss different styles of writing at Farkas Hall on Tuesday night.

“Once you know something, it’s hard to imagine what it’s like for someone else not to know it,” Pinker said, adding “The reader and the writer are equals. The goal is to help the reader see objective reality,” So is that what MIT Professor Jonathan Gruber was doing when he described how the Washington DC Democratic politicians fooled "stupid Americans" when they passed Obama's heath care law? Was it hard for Prof. Gruber to understand "what it’s like for someone else not to know" what he knows? Is Prof. Gruber unique among academics?

[From article]
“Once you know something, it’s hard to imagine what it’s like for someone else not to know it,” Pinker said.
[. . .]
“The reader and the writer are equals. The goal is to help the reader see objective reality,”

http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2014/12/10/pinker-abramson-talk-style/

Pinker, Abramson Teach Writing Style
By SONYA A. KARABEL,
Harvard CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
December 9, 2014