Word

Limit

The most interesting debates are those in which the terms are defined over the course of the discussion.

So, no, defining terms up front will only serve to suffocate discussion.

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So for you, the meaning of a term is given by some set of synonyms? ANd one ought set those synonyms out at the start of a conversation?

But you are too clever to advocate just that. You know that meaning is build over the course of a discussion - even an inefficient one.

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So... your argument is that if we decide on the definitions of our terms to start with, then we will also know where the argument will lead us...

Set up the definitions so they can only lead to the conclusion you want.

Can't fault that.

Chalmers has a whole thing about how to determine if the root of a conflict is a matter of wording.

It only works if the conflict already happened. You can get all up to speed on that technique and impress your friends with it.

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I'm persuaded that most who post to TPF neither know what a definition is nor what they're for. The evidence is many, many threads feeding on the energy of failed attempts to understand what the subject is, or what the terms mean — tim wood

I wonder what the pros in the Philosophy Department's faculty lounge would think of this?

I've long felt that failure to rigorously define leads to endless babbling. :roll: