From: Lee Corbin (lcorbin@tsoft.com)
Date: Fri Jan 10 2003 - 15:50:01 MST
Brett wrote 1/09/2003 5:03 PM
> > (By the way, there is a huge difference between terminological
> > disputes, which are comparatively trivial, and semantic ones
> > which involve concepts. Korzybski's general semanticists have
> > succeeded in spreading the correct memes concerning the latter
> > IMO.)
>
> I've written a lot in this post and others now about the prudence
> of extropians choosing to avoid the terms "human life" and "human
> beings" when they actually mean persons or people and about using
> alternative words for "belief".
We continue to disagree about what improvements in thinking
or behaving will obtain for most people if they used synonyms
for "belief" and "human being".
I don't think that their behavior or effect would change much,
and you do. But this is difficult and tricky terrain, in my
opinion, because it brushes right up against the way that
indeed the readiness to which certain words or memes come
to mind *does* affect behavior.
Consider the "Just Say No!" anti-drug campaign. What is the
chance that---just as in the case of advertising---the words
do bore themselves into the reflexes of people?
> I see this not as an exercise in Newspeak but about adopting
> better, clearer, word-memes,
boy, I guess you better read 1984 again!! ;-) (just joking)
> and depriving those who would use these words in political forums
> working against extropian aspirations from appearing to have the
> moral high ground.
>
> But am I getting anywhere at all?
As I interpret your claim here, among the great unwashed masses
who regularly watch preachers on TV and are only to happy to send
them money, and among all those whose daily lives leave little
room for profound consideration of these topics, your fear is
that they succumb readily to pronouncements like "I BELIEVE this."
In other words, they are impressed or deeply affected when
someone says "THIS I believe" in the manner you have described.
That's an empirical question, but I still would be surprised if you
were right. It would mean that things were much sadder than even I
had thought, not being known for my optimism.
Lee
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