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At 03:23 AM 3/9/00 -0500, Marcel Popescu wrote:
> I disagree. We set the meaning of words, every time we speak / write them.
> Words don't come with predefined meanings. If I intend "capitalism" to mean
> "an economical system where some people starve and others get rich" (ignore
> the lack of meaning of this definition for a second), then someone who wants
> to understand what I am saying should use THIS definition, otherwise we're
> arguing "behind" each other.
But ... but .. but....the proposed definition lacks sense. We should not,
we cannot, ignore that fact.
Words are connected to each other in ways that should reflect the way world
works. Stipulating arbitrary and unreasonable definitions breaks the
connections, and people who employ definitions that lack sense cannot make
sense. We are not free to give words any meaning we choose. They are
embedded in history and in the world.
--digsig
James A. Donald
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