The concept of definition and meaning of words has been of interest to me for a long time. I haven’t had a chance to think or write about it very much lately, but this morning I remembered an online article by Norman Swartz called “Definitions, Dictionaries, and Meaning“, which I read while in undergrad. It helped me organize my thoughts on the issue a great deal, but since then I’ve had a lot of new, hopefully more biblical, bedrock thinking laid down. So I’m hoping to go back over it and reevaluate it, because I think it is still very helpful in getting at some things that I think are important. If you get the chance, I highly recommend reading over it.

Now I must admit that, although I studied philosophy in college, I did not study semantics at any great depth, so there is a good chance that there are other authors who have covered this material much more thoroughly and better, and of whom I am ignorant. Please feel free to point me in their direction if you know of such.

It is because of my interest in defining terms well that I have installed the (heretofore unutilized) Glossary tool in this site. I hope to put that tool to greater use, and I hope that any readers will find it helpful as well.

Many years ago, I began a project that I called my “Comprehensive Philosophy,” in which I attempted to create categories for all my thoughts and beliefs on all important topics. I never got further than a basic structure, but goal was to have a cohesive and extensively linked body of ideas that would serve to help me analyze my own thoughts better, as well as provide a way to share them with other people.

Since then I have come to realize that such a project may be a more difficult undertaking than I thought at the time, and may not even be worth the effort. But I do still think that something akin to that is useful.

Anyway, one of the biggest sections that I built for this comprehensive philosophy was a glossary of definitions with an extensive network of links, linking important words in my writings to their glosses, and even with links from words internal to the definitions to their own definitions. It was a lot of work. My hope is to make use of some of that here on this blog and see if the advances in hypertext technology since my first attempt can help me out.

So stay tuned, and let me know what you think. And read that article!

We should have a great many fewer disputes in the world if words were taken for what they are, the signs of our ideas, and not for things themselves.

- John Locke

There is no more irritating fellow than the man who tries to settle an argument about communism, or justice, or liberty, by quoting from Webster.

- Mortimer J. Adler

Who will consider that no dictionary of a living tongue can ever be perfect, since, while it is hastening to publication, some words are budding, and some falling away; that a whole life cannot be spent upon syntax and etymology, and that even a whole life would not be sufficient; that he, whose design includes whatever language can express, must often speak of what he does not understand.

- Samuel Johnson

Dictionaries are like watches: the worst is better than none, and the best cannot be expected to go quite true.

- Samuel Johnson

copied from entry on 2/23/2000:

Logic ≈ Deductive Thinking

• it can only work within a given set of rules.
• it cannot prove anything, it can only disprove.

My definition of “Rationalism” - the theory that Reason is able to recognize absolute truth, and that it is the only function of the mind which is able to do so (NOT Logic or sensory perception).

It is possible to conceive of something logically, yet unreasonably.

Reason ≈ Inductive Thinking

• intuition?
• cannot prove anything
• what “makes sense”

It is impossible to conceive of something that is reasonable, yet illogical.

• Logic is a function of Reason. Therefore, Reason is not accountable or obedient to Logic.
• No thoughts are “irrational”. That would imply that there is no reason for why we have these thoughts.
• Reason is founded upon absolutes.
• Counter-rational thinking is possible because we can conceive of things that are contrary to absolute truths.
• There may be absolute contradictions to absolute truths. But Logic, insofar as it operates exclusively on a deductive level, can never reveal anything but apparent contradictions.
• Correlate: Logic can never disprove a rational concept.

copied from entry on 2/20/2000, 3:30 AM:

1. Preface - explaining purpose, organization and reasoning behind organization.
2. Personal Definitions of Key Terms and Concepts
3. Intuited Concepts and Extra-logical Conclusions
4. Logical Conclusions within the paradigm of #3
5. Logical Conclusions within other paradigms (including Science and other philosophical approaches)
6. Logical Conclusions resulting from comparison and contrast of #3 and #5.
7. List of Issues to be covered in 3-6.
8. Collection of resources and references to resources pertaining to issues in #7.

2/23/00

All complex words and concepts must be defined in the simplest and clearest terms possible when writing my comprehensive philosophy. This must be done in order to tear down (as much as possible) the barrier that denies us direct access to and sharing of Reason, viz. Language.

(Am I reconstructing the Tower of Babel?)