TheOtherDave comments on Natural Laws Are Descriptions, not Rules - Less Wrong

32 Post author: pragmatist 08 August 2012 04:27AM

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Comment author: MichaelHoward 07 August 2012 09:18:41PM 2 points [-]

I hereby nominate this for the 2012 Understatement Award.

How was it an understatement?

I acknowledge that it feels like one when you read it, but defining that way lies madness! Just ask the words "ironic" and "literally".

Comment author: TheOtherDave 08 August 2012 02:09:10AM 1 point [-]

I agree with David_Gerard: when I say I'm doing something, it appears to the reader as though I'm doing that thing.

I would also agree with various more-strongly-worded equivalents, such as "when I say I'm doing X in a series of acts that includes Y, it's disingenuous to later claim that Y wasn't intended to do X."

Hence, understatement. That is, an expression worded less strongly than, in my opinion, the situation justifies.