Re: Philosophy (was: CPE: Corliss Lamont)

[Lee Daniel Crocker <lcrocker@CALWEB.COM>]

> Wittgenstein, who was a suicide, eventually concluded that philosophy
> was a form of mental illness, . . . This seems a defensible position,
> given the tragic personal lives of most philosophers.

In Wittgenstein's case, I agree--and Neitsche and Satre as well.  But
let's not let the insane ones define our terms for everyone.  As much
as I admire Ambrose Bierce, let us model our dictionary on Webster's
instead.  To allow editorializing in the language itself is against
the very nature of the language.  In fact, don't we want agendas to be
harder to hide?  There's nothing preventing one from saying "the field
of pointless discussion" (terzu'ecau tavla tadni), or using an
attitudinal to say psychology/incredulity (menske.ianai) or a philospher
kind of time wasting (tadnytadni cacra bo fesygau), but it should be
expressed as such explicity.  Clarity is no less artful.

I still like "tadnytadni".  Tadni emphasizes a studier in any field
by any method or none, whereas saske emphasizes a body of knowledge
based on some method, so things like theology are seltadni, and
things like psychology are saske.  I don't think the language should
make any editorial judgments here, so things like accupuncture are
still saske because they are a body of knowledge by a particular
method, even if they happen to be quackery; and the study of education
is a seltadni, because it doesn't imply a particular body of knowledge
by any particular method.

seltadni        field of study, academic subject (not necessarily
                scientific or by any method at all amond students x2)
cevtadni        theologian (of type/religion x2)
tadnytadni      philosopher (x2 is particular philosophy)
menske          psychology (by method x2)
benske          neurology (by method x2)

Of course, we could just say to hell with it and make them names,
but I think these are useful and basic enough.

--
Lee Daniel Crocker <lee@piclab.com>  <http://www.piclab.com/lcrocker.html>
"All inventions or works of authorship original to me, herein and past,
are placed irrevocably in the public domain, and may be used or modified
for any purpose, without permission, attribution, or notification."--LDC