Locke and The Writing Procress


Image result for john lockeThe popular saying says that knowledge is power, but exactly what kind of knowledge? John Locke has an answer to that question. He argues in his work Essay concerning Human Understanding, that the best kind of knowledge is the one that is gained through experience. In other words, he encourages readers to do not receive answers but to rather get the answers, and use proper reasoning to get them. This is why he decided to reject the enthusiasm of faith and choose reason instead. This new way of thinking was transcendental as it led other thinkers to discover new ideas leading society to move from absolute monarchies and  dominant religious dogmas to more popular governments and freedom of faith. Most people agree that Locke's ideas have helped the way society functions today and have influenced different intellectual fields such as law, science and philosophy, but there is little research on how Locke has influence the field of written composition. Even thought Linda Flower, a composition professor, does not specifically mentions Locke’s works in her writing, I believe that her theory of the writing process shares some similarities with Locke’s ideas. Instead of agreeing with authors in that writing comes from divine inspiration, she studied, analyzed, and concluded that people can become better writers and produce meaningful pieces of writing if they follow a specific process. She notes that the act of writing is divided in three different parts; Planning, Translating and Reviewing. This process allows students to view the activity of writing from a different angle in order to understand it better. She uses reason to formulate her argument and invites readers to experience her process to see if it works for them or not. Just as how Locke suggested more than 400 years ago, Linda is utilizing reason to create her writing process. Undoubtedly, Locke’s ideas is present in our everyday life. Next time, whenever you are reading a book or simple walking on the street, ask yourself how might have Locke’s ideas be present in that moment. 



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