Ecphonesis is a rhetorical term that refers to an emotional exclamation or interjection that expresses intense feelings or emotions. It often conveys strong sentiments such as anguish, joy, surprise, or awe. In literature and speech, ecphonesis can add dramatic effect and emphasize the emotional state of a character or speaker. An example of ecphonesis might be an exclamation like "Oh! How beautiful!" or "Alas!
"Inventio" is a term derived from Latin that means "invention" or "discovery." In the context of rhetoric and education, it refers specifically to the process of coming up with ideas or arguments, serving as the first stage in the classical rhetorical canon. This stage involves brainstorming topics, generating content, and organizing thoughts to create persuasive messages. Additionally, "Inventio" can also refer to various entities such as companies, organizations, or products that utilize the term in their branding.
A dilemma is a situation in which a person faces a choice between two or more options, each of which is undesirable or involves a difficult decision. Dilemmas often involve a conflict of values or principles, making it challenging to determine the best course of action. They can be ethical, moral, or practical in nature. For example, a classic moral dilemma might involve choosing between telling a painful truth and sparing someone’s feelings.
The Dramatistic Pentad is a analytical tool developed by communication theorist Kenneth Burke. It is used to understand human behavior and motivation in various contexts, particularly in rhetoric and symbolic interaction. The pentad consists of five key elements that help to analyze the nature of human action and the relationships between the actors involved. The five components are: 1. **Act**: What is happening or what action is being taken. This is the central action that the analysis focuses on.
Epanalepsis is a rhetorical device that involves the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning and the end of a clause or sentence. This technique is often used for emphasis or to create a memorable structure in writing or speech. By framing the statement with the same word or phrase, it can highlight a central theme or idea and create a sense of closure or completeness. An example of epanalepsis is the phrase “The king is dead; long live the king.
Stephen Shenker is a prominent theoretical physicist known for his contributions to string theory and quantum gravity. His research has focused on the mathematical foundations and implications of string theory, including its interplay with various areas of theoretical physics. Shenker is also recognized for his work on the concepts of black holes and non-perturbative aspects of string theory. He has been involved in significant collaborations and has published numerous papers in these fields, playing a key role in advancing our understanding of fundamental physics.
Loosely associated statements refer to a set of ideas or claims that are not directly connected or tightly linked to one another. Each statement may relate to a common theme or subject but lacks a clear logical relationship or coherence that would bring them together in a more structured argument or narrative. In practice, loosely associated statements might be used in discussions, brainstorming sessions, or informal conversations where ideas are shared in a more free-flowing manner.
Merism is a literary and rhetorical device that involves the use of two contrasting or opposite terms to refer to a whole or a more extensive concept. It's a way of expressing a complete idea by highlighting extremes, often implying everything in between. For example, phrases like "sink or swim" or "the rich and the poor" encompass a broader spectrum than just the two elements mentioned. In literature and poetry, merism can be used to create emphasis, portray completeness, or evoke imagery.
Narrative criticism is a method of interpreting and analyzing texts, particularly in literature and biblical studies, that focuses on the narrative structure, elements, and functions within a story. It examines how the narrative functions to convey meaning, the role of the narrator, character development, plot structure, themes, and the relationship between the text and its audience.
Nasreddin, also known as Nasreddin Hodja, is a famous character from Middle Eastern and Central Asian folklore, particularly associated with Turkish, Persian, and Arab cultures. He is often depicted as a wise fool or a humorous sage, using his wit and cleverness to navigate various situations. His stories typically feature moral lessons or reflections on human nature, making them both entertaining and thought-provoking.
Neo-Aristotelianism in literature refers to a revival or reinterpretation of Aristotelian principles, particularly those articulated in Aristotle's "Poetics," which outlines the characteristics of effective storytelling and drama. This approach emphasizes the importance of objective criteria for analyzing and evaluating literary works, focusing on elements such as plot, character, and themes.
The "Parade of Horribles" refers to a concept often used in legal and political discourse, particularly in discussions of constitutional law or statutory interpretation. It involves presenting a series of exaggerated or absurd hypothetical consequences that could arise from a particular legal interpretation or decision, suggesting that these outcomes are undesirable or extreme. The idea is to illustrate the potential pitfalls or unintended consequences of a legal ruling by showcasing how it could lead to ridiculous or catastrophic results.
A periodic sentence is a complex sentence structure in which the main clause or its predicate is withheld until the end. This construction builds suspense or interest by presenting subordinate clauses and phrases that provide context or information before revealing the main point. For example: "Although the storm raged outside and the winds howled fiercely, we remained safe and warm inside the house.
"Plene scriptum" is a term from Latin that translates to "fully written" or "fully written out." In legal contexts, it is often used to describe a document that is complete and has been fully written without any omissions or gaps. This could relate to contracts, legal filings, or any other formal documentation that is intended to express all necessary terms and conditions in a clear and comprehensive manner.
In the context of module theory, a **torsion-free module** is a specific type of module over a ring that satisfies certain properties with respect to torsion elements.
In linguistics, redundancy refers to the inclusion of extra linguistic elements that do not add new information but can serve various functions such as enhancing clarity, providing emphasis, or aiding comprehension. Redundancy can manifest in different forms, including: 1. **Lexical Redundancy**: The use of words that convey similar meanings within a phrase. For example, "free gift" is redundant because gifts are inherently free.
Scare quotes refer to the use of quotation marks around a word or phrase to indicate that it is being used in a non-standard, ironic, or skeptical way. The intention is often to suggest that the term does not fully capture the author's intended meaning or that it is being used in a way that is questionable, misleading, or even sarcastic. By employing scare quotes, the writer may be implying that the term is problematic or that its use is debatable.
Rhetorical criticism is a method of analyzing and interpreting texts, speeches, or other forms of communication to understand how they persuade or influence audiences. This approach stems from the field of rhetoric, which focuses on the art of effective communication and persuasion. Key aspects of rhetorical criticism include: 1. **Analyzing the Rhetorical Situation**: This involves examining the context in which the communication occurs, including the audience, purpose, occasion, and the speaker or creator's ethos (credibility).
A Rogerian argument is a conflict-solving technique based on the principles articulated by psychologist Carl Rogers. Unlike traditional argumentative approaches that often emphasize winning or defeating an opponent's viewpoint, a Rogerian argument seeks to find common ground and foster mutual understanding between differing perspectives. Key characteristics of a Rogerian argument include: 1. **Respectful Tone**: It emphasizes empathy and respect for the viewpoints of others, acknowledging their feelings and opinions.

Pinned article: Introduction to the OurBigBook Project

Welcome to the OurBigBook Project! Our goal is to create the perfect publishing platform for STEM subjects, and get university-level students to write the best free STEM tutorials ever.
Everyone is welcome to create an account and play with the site: ourbigbook.com/go/register. We belive that students themselves can write amazing tutorials, but teachers are welcome too. You can write about anything you want, it doesn't have to be STEM or even educational. Silly test content is very welcome and you won't be penalized in any way. Just keep it legal!
We have two killer features:
  1. topics: topics group articles by different users with the same title, e.g. here is the topic for the "Fundamental Theorem of Calculus" ourbigbook.com/go/topic/fundamental-theorem-of-calculus
    Articles of different users are sorted by upvote within each article page. This feature is a bit like:
    • a Wikipedia where each user can have their own version of each article
    • a Q&A website like Stack Overflow, where multiple people can give their views on a given topic, and the best ones are sorted by upvote. Except you don't need to wait for someone to ask first, and any topic goes, no matter how narrow or broad
    This feature makes it possible for readers to find better explanations of any topic created by other writers. And it allows writers to create an explanation in a place that readers might actually find it.
    Figure 1.
    Screenshot of the "Derivative" topic page
    . View it live at: ourbigbook.com/go/topic/derivative
  2. local editing: you can store all your personal knowledge base content locally in a plaintext markup format that can be edited locally and published either:
    This way you can be sure that even if OurBigBook.com were to go down one day (which we have no plans to do as it is quite cheap to host!), your content will still be perfectly readable as a static site.
    Figure 2.
    You can publish local OurBigBook lightweight markup files to either https://OurBigBook.com or as a static website
    .
    Figure 3.
    Visual Studio Code extension installation
    .
    Figure 4.
    Visual Studio Code extension tree navigation
    .
    Figure 5.
    Web editor
    . You can also edit articles on the Web editor without installing anything locally.
    Video 3.
    Edit locally and publish demo
    . Source. This shows editing OurBigBook Markup and publishing it using the Visual Studio Code extension.
    Video 4.
    OurBigBook Visual Studio Code extension editing and navigation demo
    . Source.
  3. https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ourbigbook/ourbigbook-media/master/feature/x/hilbert-space-arrow.png
  4. Infinitely deep tables of contents:
    Figure 6.
    Dynamic article tree with infinitely deep table of contents
    .
    Descendant pages can also show up as toplevel e.g.: ourbigbook.com/cirosantilli/chordate-subclade
All our software is open source and hosted at: github.com/ourbigbook/ourbigbook
Further documentation can be found at: docs.ourbigbook.com
Feel free to reach our to us for any help or suggestions: docs.ourbigbook.com/#contact