This has a special root in social sciences and psychology, where (because we don’t have the same technical innovations and discoveries that natural sciences have) we try to compensate with new terms—playing with SIGNS of discoveries and breakthroughs.
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Replying to @DGozli @ashlee_shoaff
This creates the illusion of progress and, as you said, offers a way to distinguish the expert elite class from the rest of people who use ordinary words.
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Replying to @DGozli @ashlee_shoaff
I agree with both of you, but...I am a fan of the creative use of language, words in novel combinations to change the structure of perception. But how to do that without it becoming an elitist signaling device
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Replying to @cognazor @ashlee_shoaff
I think we can be mindful of the difference between (1) adding a term to our toolbox permanently, presenting it as indispensable vs. (2) showing a term for clarification (temporarily) and then putting it aside, i.e., using it to add meaning to our simple, “ordinary” words.
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Replying to @DGozli @ashlee_shoaff
Even "ordinary" words were fancy words at some point. But I'm more in favor of novel word combinations that are more accessible then new complicated words
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Replying to @cognazor @ashlee_shoaff
Indeed. ALL present ordinary words were innovations, & SOME past innovations survived to become ordinary. Thus we have a wealth of words & concepts already proven useful. When we innovate against this background, we ought to embrace the low chance of a useful contribution
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Replying to @DGozli @ashlee_shoaff
Does poetry have a low chance of being useful?
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Replying to @cognazor @ashlee_shoaff
Poetry doesn’t present itself as useful. It’s probably in its nature to under-promise.
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Replying to @DGozli @ashlee_shoaff
Perhaps we need to clarify 'useful'. Useful in creating an economy? Useful in liberating the soul? I agree that we should be as Lindy as possible for the former, but should be given free reign to experiment with the latter
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Terms like 'salience landscape' fall more in the latter category for me
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Well said. (1) I usually treat useful as “serving existing goals and prejudices”, and poetry usually challenges, suspends, gets past those. (2) Thank you for this exchange! A privilege to be shown my blindspot and be presented with a solid counterpoint.
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Replying to @DGozli @ashlee_shoaff
And thank you for the exchange! You handled my 'challenge' very gracefully :)
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