FeepingCreature comments on Bad Concepts Repository - Less Wrong

20 Post author: moridinamael 27 June 2013 03:16AM

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Comment author: FeepingCreature 27 June 2013 03:45:32PM *  12 points [-]

The word "is" in all its forms. It encourages category thinking in lieu of focussing on the actual behavior or properties that make it meaningful to apply. Example: "is a clone really you?" Trying to even say that without using "is" poses a challenge. I believe it should be treated the same as goto: occasionally useful but usually a warning sign.

Comment author: [deleted] 27 June 2013 11:11:03PM *  9 points [-]

So some, like Lycophron, were led to omit 'is', others to change the mode of expression and say 'the man has been whitened' instead of 'is white', and 'walks' instead of 'is walking', for fear that if they added the word 'is' they should be making the one to be many. -Aristotle, Physics 1.2

ETA: I don't mean this as either criticism or support, I just thought it might be interesting to point out that the frustration with 'is' has a long history.

Comment author: Viliam_Bur 28 June 2013 10:22:53AM 5 points [-]

E-Prime.

We could support speaking this way on LW by making a "spellchecker" that would underline all the forbidden words.

Comment author: J_Taylor 28 June 2013 12:05:53AM 6 points [-]

In that sentence, I find the words "clone", "really" and "you" to be as problematic as "is".

Comment author: [deleted] 28 June 2013 02:41:45AM 6 points [-]

You're perfectly comfortable with the indefinite article?

Comment author: J_Taylor 29 June 2013 05:10:19AM 3 points [-]

No, but I am much more comfortable with it than I am with the other words.

Comment author: [deleted] 28 June 2013 12:26:26PM 2 points [-]

Not having a word for “is” didn't stop the Chinese from coming up with the “white horse not horse” thing, though.

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