What ' s in a name?

People often talk past each other because they are using the same word with different meanings. Also, a common logical fallacy is to ascribe a different meaning to a word than your interlocutor intends. For example, a guy I once knew claimed that the concept of organic food is meaningless because " organic " means " carbon compounds " and all food consists of carbon compounds. He wasn ' t joking, he really believed he had a " gotcha " argument.This Jen Sorenson cartoon sketches some of the confusion about the word " liberal. "  First let me get " liberal arts " out of the way. Apparently some people think this means that universities indoctrinate students in a particular political perspective. The term " liberal " in this context has nothing to do with liberalism in any of its political senses. In fact the term dates back to ancient Roman times and it refers to the methods of inquiry dating back to classical Greece. Essentially is means a broad education in the humanities and sciences that equips a student to think critically and pursue understanding of the world. So just put that aside, okay? As a political ideology, " liberalism " has its roots in the 18th Century but had its fullest development in the 19th. It was a reaction to the oppressive nature of monarchy and feudalism, and was essentially the ideology that underlay development of capitalism and the European and North American republics. Previously, government consisted of a hereditary aristocracy that...
Source: Stayin' Alive - Category: American Health Source Type: blogs