Learn, Share, Grow - Why So Much Writing Is Terrible

Below is a lesson from Ihtesham Ali on X about how to create clear writing through empathy and cognitive awareness, as well as our key learnings.

The Blue Courage team is dedicated to continual learning and growth.  We have adopted a concept from Simon Sinek’s Start With Why team called “Learn, Share, Grow”.  We are constantly finding great articles, videos, and readings that have so much learning.  As we learn new and great things, this new knowledge should be shared for everyone to then grow from.

X: Ihtesham Ali wrote:

A Harvard professor who has written 9 books and spent 40 years studying how language works inside the human brain just gave the most important writing masterclass I've ever seen.

Here's what he said that broke my entire understanding of writing.

Steven Pinker, the professor, opened with a single question: why is so much writing terrible? Not just academic writing, but corporate writing, government writing, and even most blog posts.

His answer had nothing to do with effort or intelligence.

He called it the Curse of Knowledge. The moment you understand something deeply, you lose the ability to remember what it felt like not to know it. You stop seeing your own blind spots because the blind spots feel like common ground.

Continue Reading Here.

Key Learnings:

• The Curse of Knowledge causes experts to overestimate what others understand
• Poor writing is a failure of empathy, not intelligence or effort
• You cannot self-correct easily—external readers are required to reveal blind spots
• Writing should create mental images, not rely on abstract language
• Abstract terms (e.g., “framework,” “paradigm”) reduce clarity and engagement
• Concrete, visual language improves comprehension and retention
• Language is a delivery system for meaning, not the end goal
• Brevity means eliminating unnecessary cognitive load, not just shortening text
• Every word should earn its place by adding clarity or value
• Constraints (word limits) improve precision and strengthen writing
• The most effective editing method is watching someone unfamiliar read your work
• Strong writing prioritizes reader experience over writer expression