tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post5538020077666449718..comments2024-03-28T19:56:42.305-05:00Comments on Alexander Pruss's Blog: A method for testing definitionsAlexander R Prusshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05989277655934827117noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-74237351848219484222012-02-11T17:51:50.783-06:002012-02-11T17:51:50.783-06:00It occurs to me that perhaps the reason many of th...It occurs to me that perhaps the reason many of the cards in Blurt are difficult to guess is that they are words usually defined ostensively. For instance, they define 'staple' as 'a U-shaped metal fastener.' I would never think of defining 'staple' as anything other than 'one of those things.' So perhaps your criterion works for more abstract terms, like 'knowledge' or 'adultery' or 'justice', that have to be learned by a different mechanism than words like 'staple'.Kenny Pearcehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05561248709234656660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-27131415667767244272012-02-11T17:36:29.938-06:002012-02-11T17:36:29.938-06:00Edgar:
Maybe that's a sign of the fact that k...Edgar:<br /><br />Maybe that's a sign of the fact that knowledge isn't justified true belief, or anything like it?Alexander R Prusshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05989277655934827117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-43833552354493740032012-02-11T15:05:35.674-06:002012-02-11T15:05:35.674-06:00Kenny:
Good point, that. Maybe, though, it is ev...Kenny:<br /><br />Good point, that. Maybe, though, it is evidence against a definition when people plausibly guess <em>something else</em> as the definiendum?Alexander R Prusshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05989277655934827117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-3593229019370302602012-02-11T12:48:42.193-06:002012-02-11T12:48:42.193-06:00CORRECTED:
Ever played the board game Blurt? They ...CORRECTED:<br />Ever played the board game Blurt? They have cards with definitions of everyday words from Webster's on them, and someone reads a definiens, and the other players all try to be the first to call out the definiendum. The funny thing is, some of these very common everyday words can be very difficult to guess. I'm not sure if this should be taken as evidence that your procedure is bad, or evidence that Webster's is not a good dictionary.Kenny Pearcehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05561248709234656660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-83112302145581136982012-02-11T12:41:43.909-06:002012-02-11T12:41:43.909-06:00In my opinion, a number of factors come into play ...In my opinion, a number of factors come into play when one is trying to infer or derive a definiendum from the definiens. Would not the hearer or reader's presupposition pool or personal lexicon (idiolect) also make a difference? After all, before I studied Plato or epistemology, there would have been no way that I would have defined "knowledge" as "justified true belief" etc.Edgar Fosterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00280475259670777653noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-17259480034772648882012-02-11T12:23:11.913-06:002012-02-11T12:23:11.913-06:00This comment has been removed by the author.Kenny Pearcehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05561248709234656660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-52899750082255621742012-02-10T06:54:42.904-06:002012-02-10T06:54:42.904-06:00Here's another example: "What do we call ...Here's another example: "What do we call rules that a bunch of intelligent and rational delegates would come to a consensus on after their minds have been cleared of knowledge of their comprehensive views and idiosyncratic preferences and needs?"<br /><br />The tempting answer, in light of truisms about how committees operate and in light of how stultifying such mind-emptying is likely to be, is "Stupid rules".<br /><br />And there should be no temptation to answer: "Rules of justice."Alexander R Prusshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05989277655934827117noreply@blogger.com