The sacrifice of brilliance and preciosity appears to be a proof of the seriousness of the book's purpose.
He cited the deaths of 1,000 Pakistani soldiers and police officers in battles with the militants in recent years — as well as several assassination attempts against himself — as proof of the seriousness of Pakistan's counterterrorism effort.
Three doctors elaborated that speaking up about patient safety would be a proof of their seriousness and would contribute to one's positive image.
But Mr Brown will cite Tory opposition as proof of lack of seriousness about the public finances, or of a sordid zeal for more swingeing cuts in public services.
One woman opted for an earlobe instead of a finger to be severed as proof of her captors' seriousness.
In the book, I had contended that academics should not blame their bad writing on publishing gatekeepers who, they mistakenly believe, insist on ponderous prose as proof of one's seriousness.
In addition to inspecting the property, prospective buyers should ask how the auction will work, if proof of income or seriousness is required, if the auction is absolute (meaning the seller will accept any price), and whether there is a buyer's premium.
Dick Lipton, a computer science professor at Georgia Tech, wrote in a blog post that Blum's proof "passes many filters of seriousness," but suggested there may be some problems with it.
