Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id LAA22729 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Tue, 19 Mar 2002 11:16:44 GMT Message-ID: <570E2BEE7BC5A34684EE5914FCFC368C10FBC5@fillan.stir.ac.uk> From: Vincent Campbell <v.p.campbell@stir.ac.uk> To: "'memetics@mmu.ac.uk'" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> Subject: RE: FW: MD Dawkins on quantum/mysticism convergence Date: Tue, 19 Mar 2002 11:10:37 -0000 X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2653.19) Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" X-Filter-Info: UoS MailScan 0.1 [D 1] Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
<I don't think it does anyone any good to complain about writers not
using
> scientific terms with the same rigor they are used in scientific
> publications. You have to fit the words to the purpose and the audience
> you
> are writing for.>
>
As longer term list member will know, as a bit of a definitional
pedant, I couldn't really agree here. As Sokel & Bricmont have shown, when
people start using terms they don't understand and try and lever them into
their own theories, the only reason they're doing it is to try and fool the
reader that they are clever. It is a dreadful and unethical conceit, (and
doesn't stand up to scrutiny).
Personally, as someone coming from a humanities/social science
position, the extent to which my own fields are minefields of jargon means
I'm quite fed up with people trying to claw in jargon from the natural
sciences in order to try and make what they're talking about somehow more
credible (whilst often trying to pretend that natural sciences are rubbish
at the same time).
Some terms are cross-disciplinary - culture would be a good example
that is up for definitional discussion- but others, like quantum, are not,
and people should IMHO stop buggering about with them.
Vincent
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