"While Aristotle wrote that a true definition gives the essence of the thing defined (in Greek to ti Γͺn einai, literally "the what it was to be"), general semantics denies the existence of such an 'essence'.[41] In this, general semantics purports to represent an evolution in human evaluative orientation. In general semantics, it is always possible to give a description of empirical facts, but such descriptions remain just that--descriptions--which necessarily leave out many aspects of the objective, microscopic, and submicroscopic events they describe. According to general semantics, language, natural or otherwise (including the language called 'mathematics') can be used to describe the taste of an orange, but one cannot give the taste of the orange using language alone. According to general semantics, the content of all knowledge is structure, so that language (in general) and science and mathematics (in particular) can provide people with a structural 'map' of empirical facts, but there can be no 'identity', only structural similarity, between the language (map) and the empirical facts as lived through and observed by people as humans-in-environments (including doctrinal and linguistic environments)."
...
"The refusal to separate verbally what cannot be separated empirically, and the refusal to regard such verbal splits as evidence that the 'things' that are verbally split bear an additive relation to one another. For example, space-time cannot empirically be split into 'space' + 'time', a conscious organism (including humans) cannot be split into 'body' + 'mind', etc., therefore, people should never speak of 'space' and 'time' or 'mind' and 'body' in isolation, but always use the terms space-time or mind-body (or other organism-as-a-whole terms)."
Here's the Wikipedia Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_semantics
Hey guys,
I'm trying to find a hard copy version of Science and Sanity by Alfred Korzybski for not-ridiculous prices (currently they are going for around Β£60 on Amazon)? I know it's possible to get the book online for free but I would prefer a hard copy so I can read it on the commute.
...<sips espresso, looking out at the snow>...
The other day I read something along the lines of "turn your mental blocks into building blocks". Sounds good, I thought, but that is easier said than done. And it got me thinking about how many times we get that kind of advice: it sounds good, but...really? Like your phone breaking down, you ask a friend about it and they say "hm, it seems broken; you should repair it". Well, duh.
And yet, when we read or hear these things, there is a truth so them. So, what's up with that?
...<sits down with you>...
I think it's like road signs. Like a map. If we want to go to Paris, New York, London, we need directions. The further away from our destination we are, the more general the directions: "that-ah way" ...<nods>...
And when we're on that road, and we see that sign that says "city, x miles", we know we're heading in the right direction. But the directions, the road signs, the map, is not the actual travelling. It's not what we need to do to get there.
It's not that people make it sound easier than it is. It's not that they underestimate the work involved. It's that the map is not the territory; the directions are not the journey.
- Love, Dad
I don't want to step on anybody's toes here, but the amount of non-dad jokes here in this subreddit really annoys me. First of all, dad jokes CAN be NSFW, it clearly says so in the sub rules. Secondly, it doesn't automatically make it a dad joke if it's from a conversation between you and your child. Most importantly, the jokes that your CHILDREN tell YOU are not dad jokes. The point of a dad joke is that it's so cheesy only a dad who's trying to be funny would make such a joke. That's it. They are stupid plays on words, lame puns and so on. There has to be a clever pun or wordplay for it to be considered a dad joke.
Again, to all the fellow dads, I apologise if I'm sounding too harsh. But I just needed to get it off my chest.
Excited to drop new episodes on the 23rd of each month! Check out our debut episode on Alfred Korzybski featuring Dom Heffer from the Institute of General Semantics. https://youtu.be/M13vyfZbkKY
Do your worst!
I'm surprised it hasn't decade.
For context I'm a Refuse Driver (Garbage man) & today I was on food waste. After I'd tipped I was checking the wagon for any defects when I spotted a lone pea balanced on the lifts.
I said "hey look, an escaPEA"
No one near me but it didn't half make me laugh for a good hour or so!
Edit: I can't believe how much this has blown up. Thank you everyone I've had a blast reading through the replies π
It really does, I swear!
Because she wanted to see the task manager.
Heard they've been doing some shady business.
BamBOO!
Theyβre on standbi
Pilot on me!!
Nothing, he was gladiator.
Christopher Walken
Dad jokes are supposed to be jokes you can tell a kid and they will understand it and find it funny.
This sub is mostly just NSFW puns now.
If it needs a NSFW tag it's not a dad joke. There should just be a NSFW puns subreddit for that.
Edit* I'm not replying any longer and turning off notifications but to all those that say "no one cares", there sure are a lot of you arguing about it. Maybe I'm wrong but you people don't need to be rude about it. If you really don't care, don't comment.
