The Logic Off Topic list

At 5:58 PM +0200 6/28/01, Hendrik Jan Veenstra wrote:
>
>I don't care what the dictionary says.

Clearly.  But if you are going to make up your own interpretations 
the words you are using and consider your own interpretations of 
those words more authoritative than those in the dictionary, of your 
second language to boot, well then what is there to say?   Or more 
accurately what is there to say that you could not arbitrarily assign 
any meaning you want?

And they call *me* arrogant.


>   Howard expressed a point of view.  That might
>as well be with the intention to "exchange thoughts" as with the
>intention to "argue differing viewpoints with the hope of winning".
>  From his post I can only conclude the former was his intention, while
>you make it sound as if the latter was.
>While everybody praised the Good of Competition, all Howard did was
>say "I've come to realise over the years that it's actually possible
>to do things without competition playing a role".  And now you say
>that he's _debating_ his point of view, and suggesting that this too
>is competition, with the intention of winning???

Whether *you* know it or not *Howard* did know that he was arguing a 
point that's why he prefaced his statement with "Hogwash".  Whose 
meaning is to dismiss something that preceded as "useless, or 
insincere talk" as Websters puts it.  But you don't believe in 
dictionaries so...


>I don't even know
>what to say to that as it's too bizarre...

Well I guess since you don't accept the dictionary as defining the 
language you could say "unga booga Jelly Bean starfish pie" and that 
would be just as pertinent as anything else you've said so far.


>  >  >After all, wouldn't it be pathetic
>>>for a 38-year old to comete with 18-year olds?
>>
>>It would be particularly pathetic if the 18 year old looked in a
>>dictionary whupped the 38 year olds butt.
>
>Oh, very strong argument...

Thank you.  In this instance, I agree.

>How's your Dutch nowadays?

Perfect I just make it up as I go.  Who needs dictionaries?

>  >I am particularly reminded of the following true story:
>>[...]
>>So the next week when my favorite 3rd grade teacher told us that
>>gravity was the result of the earth spinning.  I kind of decided I
>>knew about all  I wanted to know to about teachers and started trying
>>to concentrate on getting information from other sources.
>
>And I once heard a guy claim he was a great guitarist, but he
>couldn't distinguish a C major from a Esus4, and he couldn't play
>s***.  Since then I've only listened to keyboard music.

OK. To be honest I kept listening to teachers but the lesson I 
learned that had among the biggest impacts those days was to question 
authority and that sometimes you're right even when everyone around 
you including the authority is ridiculing you as a fool for holding a 
certain conviction.

>But let me
>assure you that generally I respect my students and they respect me.

I am honestly glad to hear that.  You were alarming me.

>In the yearly "poll" I consistently come out as one of the more
>popular teachers, both from a teaching perspective and from a
>personal perspective.

What is the purpose of these these yearly polls?  Sounds like a 
popularity contest if ever there was one.


>And I'm the only teacher who still has regular
>contacts with ex-students, and whose ex-students (some of them, not
>all of course) still come over at my place to have a beer from time
>to time.

It is clear to the reader that you feel you have won something that 
your peers have not.  And you are proud of that.  As you should be. 
So you emphasize that you are the only one who does maintain these 
ties.  Therefore the clear implication is that you see your methods 
of dealing with the students as somehow superior to those other 
teachers who haven't achieved the popularity you claim.  You 
juxtaposed your accomplishments against those of your peers and 
invited the reader to compare.  Competition pure and simple.


-- 


                                 Dennis Gunn
                                 Mightyjohn@...

                  check out  MIGHTY JOHN HENRY's album "hot air head"
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