Grammar is the mind-killer. Once you know which spelling is correct, you must attack all words that appear incorrect; otherwise it’s like stabbing your teachers in the back—providing aid and comfort to the uneducated.
People go funny in the head when talking about grammar. The evolutionary reasons for this are so obvious as to be worth belaboring: In the ancestral environment, spelling was a matter of life and death. And sex, and wealth, and allies, and reputation… Writing “execute not, release!” as “execute, not release!” could let you kill your hated rival!
If you want to make a point about science, or rationality, then my advice is to not choose a contemporary language, if you can possibly avoid it. If your point is inherently verbal, then use French language from the Louis XVI’s era. Language is an important domain to which we should individually apply our rationality—but it’s a terrible tool to learn rationality, or discuss rationality, unless all the discussants are already rational.
If you use French language from the Louis XVI era, nobody will understand you. It isn’t clear that avoiding politics will lead to a similar lack of understanding.
Grammar is the mind-killer. Once you know which spelling is correct, you must attack all words that appear incorrect; otherwise it’s like stabbing your teachers in the back—providing aid and comfort to the uneducated.
People go funny in the head when talking about grammar. The evolutionary reasons for this are so obvious as to be worth belaboring: In the ancestral environment, spelling was a matter of life and death. And sex, and wealth, and allies, and reputation… Writing “execute not, release!” as “execute, not release!” could let you kill your hated rival!
If you want to make a point about science, or rationality, then my advice is to not choose a contemporary language, if you can possibly avoid it. If your point is inherently verbal, then use French language from the Louis XVI’s era. Language is an important domain to which we should individually apply our rationality—but it’s a terrible tool to learn rationality, or discuss rationality, unless all the discussants are already rational.
/s
If you use French language from the Louis XVI era, nobody will understand you. It isn’t clear that avoiding politics will lead to a similar lack of understanding.