Philosophy Word of the Day – Zombie

In contemporary discussions of the philosophy of mind, a hypothetical being whose appearance, behavior, and speech is indistinguishable from that of a normal human being despite its total lack of conscious experience in any form.

(via Philosophical Dictionary)

Zombies are popping up everywhere.  First it was Jane Austen, and now philosophy.

Any other zombie observations?

Update:

While a zombie attack is one of the least likely ways the world could end, four Canadian mathematicians/graduate students did a mathematical analysis of a hypothetical zombie outbreak to determine the likelihood of human eradication, should such an attack ever occur. According to their model, “a zombie outbreak is likely to lead to the collapse of civilization, unless it is dealt with quickly. While aggressive quarantine may contain the epidemic, or a cure may lead to coexistence of humans and zombies, the most effective way to contain the rise of the undead is to hit hard and hit often.” (HT: Marginal Revolution)

(via Freakonomics)

Trimming Your Writing to Make it Better

Maybe a fourth of the editing I do is cutting words, phrases, sentences, and sometimes paragraphs.  As good old Strunk & White says, just as a machine should have no unnecessary parts, so a sentence should have no unnecessary words.  Literary agent and editor Rachelle Gardner provides a nice list of items that are easily trimmed – which usually results in cleaner, stronger, more compelling writing.

→ Adverbs, especially those with “ly” endings. Ask yourself if they’re necessary.
→ Adjectives. Often people use two or three when one or none is better.
→ Gerunds. Words that end in “ing.”
→ Passive voice: Over-use of words like “was,” “were” and “that” indicate your writing may be too passive. Reconstruct in active voice.
→ Passages that are overly descriptive.
→ Passages that describe characters’ thoughts and feelings in too much detail (i.e. long sections of narrative or interior monologue).
→ Passages that tell the reader what they already know.
→ Unnecessary backstory.