Jonathan Moreno

About the Professor

Dr. Moreno received a PhD from Washington University. He is one of 14 Penn Integrates Knowledge (PIK) professors, holding the David and Lyn Silfen chair. He works in Biomedical Ethics, History of Science, and History of Medical Ethics.

Important Criteria for Student Writing

Dr. Moreno feels that grammar and mechanics, mastery of others’ ideas, and reasoning and evidence are of high importance in writing. Organization falls into a second tier of necessity. He believes that following assignment instructions is not a necessary requirement for student writing because students might be brought to new thought in the course of an assignment.

PERSONAL WRITING PROCESS

“For the most part, I just write. I don’t do a lot of drafts, unless somebody’s pounding on me. I’m a pretty facile writer, so I don’t generally have trouble writing. I’ve never had a writer’s block.”

Dr. Moreno does acknowledge that when trying to sell a book, it is important to have a collaborative process of development with a literary agent. He admits that it “can be very painful – but it results in product that’s more accessible to people.”

WRITING TIPS

“Read A LOT of good writing! There is no set way to learn other than that. Good writing can come from any field.”

LINKS

Back to History and Sociology of Science

Jonathan Moreno's HSS Department Page

Jonathan Moreno's Personal Page