language-shapes-thought
Sloppy language makes it easier to have sloppy thoughts — and the process works in reverse too. When you let ready-made phrases do your writing, they start doing your thinking, often concealing your meaning even from yourself. Simplify your language and you can't hide a bad idea behind jargon — its stupidity becomes obvious, even to you.
Related ideas
Ideas connected to language-shapes-thought.
National Narratives
The words a nation uses to describe itself constrain how its citizens can think
Writing as ThinkingIf language shapes thought, then writing — choosing your own words — is the purest form of thinking
Rhetoric & PersuasionPersuaders exploit language's power over thought — knowing this is your defense
Idols of the MindBacon's 'Idols of the Marketplace' — words that confuse instead of clarify — is this exact idea