"Definitions are like a map. Once you have a map, you are free to choose the road."
The map is not the territory. Words are defined in terms of other words. Circular. If you want to know the concrete meaning of a word, look for the referent. If you can't find it, you're dealing with an abstraction that can mean different things to differe…
"Definitions are like a map. Once you have a map, you are free to choose the road."
The map is not the territory. Words are defined in terms of other words. Circular. If you want to know the concrete meaning of a word, look for the referent. If you can't find it, you're dealing with an abstraction that can mean different things to different people. The way out of the trap is to search for the lower level referents that make up the concept behind the word, a referent being something objective that we can all agree upon. If you can't do that, you're basically talking nonsense. Nothing wrong with that, as long as you understand that's what it is.
We talk about things in the context of communication - otherwise we don’t need words or meanings or explanations. Communication means at least two parties exchanging or sharing information. If the intent is to “see eye to eye”, conventional references approximating different experiences are a must, that’s obvious. “What’s the time?” is a question about a map, not the territory, because the territory is a personal translation of the map (like primary school education) into a tangible experience. A fascinating process in itself.
"Definitions are like a map. Once you have a map, you are free to choose the road."
The map is not the territory. Words are defined in terms of other words. Circular. If you want to know the concrete meaning of a word, look for the referent. If you can't find it, you're dealing with an abstraction that can mean different things to different people. The way out of the trap is to search for the lower level referents that make up the concept behind the word, a referent being something objective that we can all agree upon. If you can't do that, you're basically talking nonsense. Nothing wrong with that, as long as you understand that's what it is.
We talk about things in the context of communication - otherwise we don’t need words or meanings or explanations. Communication means at least two parties exchanging or sharing information. If the intent is to “see eye to eye”, conventional references approximating different experiences are a must, that’s obvious. “What’s the time?” is a question about a map, not the territory, because the territory is a personal translation of the map (like primary school education) into a tangible experience. A fascinating process in itself.