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發揮寫作說服力的六大準則之二：宣示信念
【學術專欄】
不管是自己選擇或教授指定，若要寫作論說式學術文章，必須先做好心理準備。你必須說明個人意見，選定觀點也很重要，結構與表達尤其攸關文章成敗。本專欄介紹六大關鍵準則，讓你寫作時發揮說服力，每項準則都會刊登在 TPS 粉絲專頁，並在最後集結於 TPS 學術電子報。
Whether by choice or assignment, when an argumentative academic paper is the task at hand, the writer must approach it with an appropriate mindset. Subjective values come into play. Point of view becomes important. Organization and presentation become even more critical to success. The elements of successful persuasive writing are explained in this series, “6 Essential Rules for Persuasive Writing.” Each of the rules will be presented on the TPS Fan page before being compiled.
Rule # 2 – Believe
準則二：宣示信念
More so than some writing projects, persuasive papers must be grounded in conviction. That is, having academic interest in a subject is not sufficient commitment to a written argument, if convincing a reader is the goal. A persuasive writer must believe a thesis to be true, because some readers surely will not. Merely striking a supportive stance—posturing, in a word—is not persuasive, because insincerity inevitably leaks through to undermine any points being made.
相較於一般的文章，論說文更注重可信度。如果要寫論說文說服讀者，僅僅對主題抱持學術興趣還不夠；文章要有說服力，作者必須信奉自己的論點，因為有些讀者必然有不同意見。只在立場上表示同意（也就是表態）無法叫人信服，因為言不由衷的態度往往會在文章中流露出來，削弱各種論點的力道。
So the required mindset is belief. You must openly believe what you are espousing in a persuasive paper. This is difficult for some writers, who have been taught the virtue of objectivity and academic distance in their expository writing. While emotional appeals are not appropriate, fervent factual espousal of a doctrine, policy, or finding is absolutely OK. Stridency can be a turnoff, but resolute testimony is not. Do not be of two minds about your subject.
所以態度上一定要充滿信心，在寫論說文時公開對擁護的論點表達信念。這對有些人來說並不容易，因為他們受過寫說明文的訓練，信奉客觀與學術距離。儘管訴諸情感並不恰當，但根據事實，熱切擁護一項主義、政策或發現，則無傷大雅。咄咄逼人讓人退避三舍，但堅定的聲明不會引起反感。你對主題的立場不能搖擺不定。
Having and expressing convictions in a paper should not be a stretch for a serious academic writer. After all, you are immersing yourself in academics precisely because you appreciate the power of the mind. Papers written to persuade bring all of that power to bear including the considerable energy unleashed by imagination and fresh thinking. Combined with courage, these intellectual assets are the tools for changing the world, one mind at a time. Believe you can.
對認真的學者來說，在文章中展現信心應該不難，畢竟你獻身學術，正是因為你懂得心智的力量。論說文正是用來展現心智的力量，包括由想像力與嶄新思維釋放的強大能量。這些智慧如果能結合勇氣，就能用來逐漸改變世界。要相信自己做得到。
Whether by choice or assignment, when an argumentative academic paper is the task at hand, the writer must approach it with an appropriate mindset. Subjective values come into play. Point of view becomes important. Organization and presentation become even more critical to success. The elements of successful persuasive writing are explained in this series, “6 Essential Rules for Persuasive Writing.” Each of the rules will be presented on the TPS Fan page before being compiled.
Rule # 2 – Believe
準則二：宣示信念
More so than some writing projects, persuasive papers must be grounded in conviction. That is, having academic interest in a subject is not sufficient commitment to a written argument, if convincing a reader is the goal. A persuasive writer must believe a thesis to be true, because some readers surely will not. Merely striking a supportive stance—posturing, in a word—is not persuasive, because insincerity inevitably leaks through to undermine any points being made.
相較於一般的文章，論說文更注重可信度。如果要寫論說文說服讀者，僅僅對主題抱持學術興趣還不夠；文章要有說服力，作者必須信奉自己的論點，因為有些讀者必然有不同意見。只在立場上表示同意（也就是表態）無法叫人信服，因為言不由衷的態度往往會在文章中流露出來，削弱各種論點的力道。
So the required mindset is belief. You must openly believe what you are espousing in a persuasive paper. This is difficult for some writers, who have been taught the virtue of objectivity and academic distance in their expository writing. While emotional appeals are not appropriate, fervent factual espousal of a doctrine, policy, or finding is absolutely OK. Stridency can be a turnoff, but resolute testimony is not. Do not be of two minds about your subject.
所以態度上一定要充滿信心，在寫論說文時公開對擁護的論點表達信念。這對有些人來說並不容易，因為他們受過寫說明文的訓練，信奉客觀與學術距離。儘管訴諸情感並不恰當，但根據事實，熱切擁護一項主義、政策或發現，則無傷大雅。咄咄逼人讓人退避三舍，但堅定的聲明不會引起反感。你對主題的立場不能搖擺不定。
Having and expressing convictions in a paper should not be a stretch for a serious academic writer. After all, you are immersing yourself in academics precisely because you appreciate the power of the mind. Papers written to persuade bring all of that power to bear including the considerable energy unleashed by imagination and fresh thinking. Combined with courage, these intellectual assets are the tools for changing the world, one mind at a time. Believe you can.
對認真的學者來說，在文章中展現信心應該不難，畢竟你獻身學術，正是因為你懂得心智的力量。論說文正是用來展現心智的力量，包括由想像力與嶄新思維釋放的強大能量。這些智慧如果能結合勇氣，就能用來逐漸改變世界。要相信自己做得到。
