A couple of years ago I wrote about kinds of thinkers: Explainers, Illuminators, and Provokers. That classification was based on effect, that is, what those thinkers do for me as a reader. But you can also classify thinkers by their purposes. Thus my second tripartite scheme, thinker-writers who are
- Diagnostic
- Prescriptive
- Therapeutic
Source: a taxonomy of writers: 2 – The Homebound Symphony
I am intrigued by Alan Jacobs’ taxonomy of the effect and purpose of writing. I wonder if this might be a useful means of categorisation when reflecting on what I have read and consumed. I feel that it would be interesting to consider a breakdown of content in this way.