Book: Learn to Write Badly: How to Succeed in the Social Sciences by Michael Billig

Billig, Michael. 2013. Learn to Write Badly: How to Succeed in the Social Sciences. New York: Cambridge University Press.

I read this one back during the pandemic and, indeed, even began a review post at that time.

The book offers a frontal assault on bad writing (and thus worse thinking) in the social sciences, with most of the examples drawn from the author's discipline of social psychology. 

Lots of negative lessons here for how to write better in economics, as well as some excellent examples of contributions to acronymic science (e.g., CHAT = "cultural historical activity theory") in the context of branding ones ideas. And wonderous jargon like "ideational metafunction." 

I have not laughed this hard at a non-fiction book since reading Frederick Crews back in gradual school at the recommendation of Nat Wilcox.

Recommended.

Hat tip: Lars Skipper