short view

short view

1. A short description that touches on the most important aspects of a subject.
   • 1721, Lorenz Heister, A compendium of anatomy, page 58:

     From this short View, it may appear, that the Articulation of the Bones of the Carpus is threefold;

   • 1814, Robert Gillan, A Short View of Modern Astronomy, for the Use of Schools and Private Classes, page 3:

     This short View of Modern Astronomy was drawn up in September last, being intended as a textbook for the use of Pupils in a Class of Astronomy , which the writer meant to teach during winter.

   • 1835, Joseph Reeve, A Short View of the History of the Christian Church, page 23:

     To convey this Christian knowledge in as clear and succinct a manner, as the extent of it will allow, is the design of this short view.

   • 1854, Isaac Watts, A short view of the whole scripture history:

     It was not possible to insert all the particular narratives contained in the Scripture, without making another book almost as big as the Bible itself; whereas my prime design was to give an abstract or short view of the sacred history, for the use of persons of such age, capacities, or conditions of life, as are not able to attend to much reading, nor gain a fuller and more accurate knowledge of the transactions of God with men.

2. A consideration of immediate and short-term needs and consequences.

   Antonym: long view

   take a short view, take the short view

   • 1901 May, John C. McVail, “The Ethics of Preventive Medicine”, in Public Health, volume 13, page 546:

     The short view is, Do now the work that is required now.

   • 1919 September 23, Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons, “Royal Commission on Agriculture, Minutes of Evidence”, in Parliamentary Papers, volume 8:

     Do you think that a long view is necessary or a short view or a combination of both ? —I think the long view is necessary, but if you did not feel justified in going in for the long view I regard 8 to 10 years as the short view.

   • 1958, Jacob Viner, The Long View and the Short, page 112:

     It is true that in adopting the short view many of the younger economists have not merely taken over the lay notions bodily. Some of them have, in fact, given them a theoretical elaboration which for subtlety, refinement, and elegance need make no apologies to the older economics, and which remains faithful to older theorizing in at least one respect, that the tradition of unintelligibility to the layman is scrupulously observed.

• short term

• “short view”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.