tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2341660247920423117.post2074498001825608306..comments2023-03-31T04:01:19.500-07:00Comments on World Culture: "Religion" as in the nounApollohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12857660225314120682noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2341660247920423117.post-44693300921440642232007-09-11T14:54:00.000-07:002007-09-11T14:54:00.000-07:00A very interesting discussion. You hit upon somet...A very interesting discussion. You hit upon something very important in the last part of your reflection; that is, there is a very odd distinction between the meaning of a word and the definition of a word. One way to perhaps look at it is that when we are very young (e.g., toddlers), we are not taught through definitions. What is usually used is pointing, using, and correcting when we get the use wrong. Definitions come later. We often don't realize that defining something is an abstract procedure. We might find efficiency in defining something, but caution here is necessary. One reason is because as soon as something is defined, an example comes along that defies the definition. We then either have to enlarge the definition to encompass the example, or discard the definition. The problem with the former is if we enlarge it so much, we may lose the sense the definition had in the first place.Paul Devittohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01526844719564933413noreply@blogger.com