Okeymaker comments on Replace the Symbol with the Substance - Less Wrong
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A good article, but what I really miss here is that you don´t explain what words and symbols are useful for. You should mention it quick in every post in the sequence, or at least link to an explanation. When I read, I agreed to what you said until a certain point.
Here it is:
Not always. One of the main points of nouns, what they are good for, is to INCLUDE a purpose and a context that comes with the word. A baseball isn´t just a physical substance, it is not just a round object made of a certain material. It is an object made for a certain purpose. It can be made in various ways, the word allows for variations. The word baseball means a ball that is made for use in the game of baseball. It is defined by it´s purpose (Agent Smith is badass) and can be improved and altered without losing it´s identity. If you had to explain what a baseball was every time a new model was being made and marketed, you would have a hard time.
Am I missing something or am I right?