The Debate over Coauthoring

When it comes to coauthoring, where more than one person is involved in the composition of a certain text, there is a lot of personal opinion concerning whether or not it is beneficial. Some would argue that "many hands make light work", while others would counter this claim and say that coauthoring leads to more conflict and to less accomplished writing. I personally think that there is no objective truth in regards to this conflict. One may claim what works for them personally, but they will never be able to proclaim that same opinion over others. People are different. They think differently. They act differently. They communicate and learn differently. They even compose differently. Although there may not be an objective answer to the question of whether coauthoring is beneficial or destructive, there is information coming from both sides of the argument that should open some eyes.

Many may assume that they are incapable of working well cooperatively with others when composing, but perhaps people are just unwilling to consider the thoughts of others. Regardless of the cause, I believe that at the core of human nature is pride and selfishness. American culture augments this genetic condition by creating extremely individualistic citizens who are biased, opinionated, and who generally do not consider the ideas of others to be worthwhile. However, I would argue that this mindset is bad. I would argue that this mindset is what causes the US to rush into war rather than opting to work alongside the "enemy" in order to find a constructive solution.

On the other side of the coin, there are situations where two people's mindsets are so different, that a compromise is out of the question. In these cases, perhaps it would be better to choose someone whom you could work alongside. But what if one person is a perfectionist? Well, I would call myself a perfectionist to a certain degree. However, I am proud to say that I am somewhat able to turn of my desire for everything to be perfect (aka what I deem right). But, I understand that many people's perfectionism surpasses my own. In these situations, coauthoring is most likely a bad choice.