Eliezer, I must admit I really don’t get your problem with definitions. Or, more precisely, I can’t get myself to share it.
It seems to me you attack definitions mainly because they enable malignant (and/or confused) arguers to do a bait-and-switch. Without defining what is being talked about, there is no obvious switching anymore, so that seems to be your solution. But to me that is like leaving an important variable unbound, which makes the whole argument underdefined and therefore practically worthless.
IMHO it is precisely because two people have a common conception of what they are talking about that they can communicate at all. Definitions help to make important key concepts sharply and clearly—uhm—defined. When someone uses a “definition” which makes little or no practical sense, just go and call ‘em on that! When someone does a bait-and-switch, call ’em! But when people argue without defining what they’re arguing about, what you gonna do?
Apart from that, both “I can define that thing any way I want.” and “It’s in the dictionary.” have a smell of straw-men.
If someone goes “I can define that thing any way I want.” then just insist on the exact same definition when they draw their conclusions—be a djinn! Don’t give in to what they wish (or think) they had defined, but to what they did, and tread rickety would-be conclusions to shambles!
If someone goes “It’s in the dictionary.”, ah well… find someone else to talk to… =)
Eliezer, I must admit I really don’t get your problem with definitions. Or, more precisely, I can’t get myself to share it. It seems to me you attack definitions mainly because they enable malignant (and/or confused) arguers to do a bait-and-switch. Without defining what is being talked about, there is no obvious switching anymore, so that seems to be your solution. But to me that is like leaving an important variable unbound, which makes the whole argument underdefined and therefore practically worthless. IMHO it is precisely because two people have a common conception of what they are talking about that they can communicate at all. Definitions help to make important key concepts sharply and clearly—uhm—defined. When someone uses a “definition” which makes little or no practical sense, just go and call ‘em on that! When someone does a bait-and-switch, call ’em! But when people argue without defining what they’re arguing about, what you gonna do? Apart from that, both “I can define that thing any way I want.” and “It’s in the dictionary.” have a smell of straw-men. If someone goes “I can define that thing any way I want.” then just insist on the exact same definition when they draw their conclusions—be a djinn! Don’t give in to what they wish (or think) they had defined, but to what they did, and tread rickety would-be conclusions to shambles! If someone goes “It’s in the dictionary.”, ah well… find someone else to talk to… =)