Messing Up Our Dictionary?

truthiness               Absquatulate;               Codology;

Dumbledore;       Honorificabilitudinitatibus              Vomitorium;

 

Our differences may cause us problems, which perhaps we can never fully solve or agree about.  But how many wars have been fought in the name of difference?  There should be a cry of outrage against the suffering caused in the name of truth: "The nineteenth and twentieth centuries have given us as much terror as we can take.  We have paid a high enough price for the nostalgia of the whole and the one. . . Let us wage war on the totality" (Lyotard: The Postmodern Condition, 81-82). 

 

Colbert has taken the art of messing with definitions to another level -- particularly through his segment "The Word," but also going as far as creating his own encyclopedia... his own wikiality.   He makes us laugh about just how easily we can twist meaning in language, while at the same time demonstrating how meaning is recreated in humorous (and not so humorous) ways by other writers and readers.  He has nearly limitless material to work with and change at his whim... as there is always someone's opinion that needs to be shown "the truthiness."  

Hey! We did it BEFORE Obama!

 

1-(re)view wikipedia and the "wikiality" clip

2-view "wikilobbying"

 

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Our thoughts On Definitions, Truth & Truthiness...

The functions of Definitions? The Need for Definition? The Rhetoric of Defining... 

How do definitions change?

How does meaning change or become accepted as part of a term or word?

Who Controls the words/terms we use?

Why is clear understanding important?

Why is skepticism important?

What words/terms are of significance right now?

How much do definitions play a role in how we see the world?

How does has new media and websites like wikipedia changed our relationship with our definitions?

 

 

 

 

Project Three:

Definition

 

Description

This paper allows you to focus on an argument type which commonly arises before we can argue about what should be done to address an issue: “What is the nature or definition of something?”

 

Invention

The need for definition arises when people have diverging ideas about what a term means or an audience has difficulty understanding a concept. The purpose of this assignment is to define something—a condition or a concept you know well or have researched—either to change an audience’s thinking about its meaning or to help them understand it better. You will need to have some purpose for arguing this definition, and you will need to direct your writing to some audience whose thinking you want to influence. In other words, though our first two projects focused on the default audience of your classmates, this project demands that you formulate what "real" audience you will be writing for and where you might "send" or submit this piece when it is completed.

 

Composition

Remember your credibility is important here, as it is in all arguments. Take care to present yourself as someone who is reasonably well-informed about the issue you’ll discuss. If you have any established ethos with the audience, be sure to draw on that. You might also consider composing this project in collaboration with another class member. As mentioned way back at the beginning of the semester all projects save the first two may be done collaboratively.

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The Challenges of the Definition Project

 

I. Accomodating your audience

This is your first project written for a specific audience and thus carries with it particiular challenges in regards to acommodating that audience's interest. For instance, you need to consider such questions as:

• What does this audience know about the term and the surrounding issues? (Like project two, you may need to "summarize" or set the scene.  You may also need to convince your audience that the term/word under consideration is always/already rhetorically constructed or supported by other people's goals in writing, their perspectives, their logos/ethos/pathos, the time or opportunity for creating this definition (kairos), etc.
• How does the audience you will address currently feel about the issue? 
• What interests or desires do you have in common with your audience?
• What rhetorical strategies will work to convince this audience (or cause them come to some understanding and acceptance) of your definition?

 

We will sharpen our skills with such questions during our preparation for a debate in Thursday's class, and with proposals for ProjectThree written on yourSIXTH RESPONSE, also known as, the Word page over the next few days. 

 

II. Addressing Controversial Issues through Argument and Counterargument

This is also the first project in which you are taking on highly controversial issues for the purpose of creating and argument of your own. Although perhaps some components of your audience may have taken issue with your analyses of advertisements and books/films, the subjects you are working on for ProjectThree are of a more explicitly controversial nature. As such, they will require some shrewd rhetorical moves not only in your production of a compelling argument, but also in your ability to counter opposing arguments.

 

We will also begin to take this challenge on Thursday, when we prepare for and host the First 1020 Public Debate Thunderdome.

 

 

Where have we seen definitions before?

Stasis Qustions/Claims:

Definitional/Categorial: Is X a Y?

Disagreement over the nature of a thing or its inclusion in a category (occurs when one disagrees over the definition of either X or Y)

• Is Pluto a planet?
• Is abortion murder?

 

The Enthymeme

 

Components of the Enthymeme:

The claim (definitions are some of the most fundamental claims we make)

The stated reason

The unstated assumption

and grounds (proof)

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Types of Definitions:  coming to terms with terms (minus the circular logic)

 

1. Terms that require technical (dictionary-ish/encyclopdedic) definitions, such as: pencils

 

 

 

 

Question: What criteria designates and distinguishes a pencil from all other items?

 

This marks a fundamental strategy for defining:  A "Categorical" approach, we will call: The Criteria Match Strategy.

 When placing something in a category, one must match the item's attributes to the criteria being proven/proposed/stipulated. The definition of a pencil would most likely be a formal definition (not arguable).  We will come back to the criteria match strategy in a moment.

 

When using Criteria match for an 'arguable definition' you are arguing that one must match the term to the criteria being proven/proposed/stipulated.  For example:    1) definition one Your Definition as a Claim: Marriage is a right for both gays and straight and should be legalized (because gays and straights should have equal rights, because gays have been denied their legal right...even though some churches might grant that right)   Decide what are the Necessary criteria for your definition: "universal rights" "oppression" "ethical?"... Implications (cause/effect): ? (discussed next class)    2) definition two Your Definition as a Claim: Marriage is a right for men and women gays that should be extended to homosexual couples (because gays and straights can have legal unions, but the term "marriage" denotes a state and religious union)   Decide what are the Necessary criteria: "religion" "tradition" "morals" ... "procreation" ... Implications (cause/effect): ? (discussed next class)

 

 

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Definition Type 2: (arguable)

 

2. Terms that have taken on a certain controversy or confusion, such as:

 

Feminism

 

Feminism is the radical notion that women are people.

- Cheris Kramarae and Paula Treichler

 

Feminism is a socialist, anti-family, political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians.

-Pat Robertson

 

 

or

 

Compassionate Conservatism

 

 

Arguments over these categories would likely take place through the strategy: operational definitions.  These are something you will use in social sciences, and looks something like: 

Operational Definition -description of term as applied to a specific situation to facilitate the collection of meaningful (or standardized) data, or persuasive evidence that shows how the term's effects, i.e. how the term works on people, society, culture, etc. When collecting data it is important to define terms very clearly in order to assure all those collecting and analysing the data have the same understanding. Therefore, operational definitions should be very precise and be written to avoid possible variation in interpretations.   An operational definition specifically states a method for how you will analyze your evidence, or how you will "measure" the effects of the thing being defined. Many difficulties can arise without methods or what they call in psych: "operationally defined measures..."

 

The operational definition of a peanut butter sandwich might be simply "the result of putting peanut butter on a slice of bread with a butter knife and laying a second equally sized slice of bread on top"

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Definition Type 3: (arguable)

 

 

3. The application of established terms to a "hard case."

 

For instance, get all nostalgic with me by considering the Clinton-Lewinsky sex scandal.

 

Did the “interactions” between Clinton and Lewinsky constitute “sexual relations?”

 

Did Clinton’s testimony that he did not have “sexual relations” with Lewinsky constitute perjury?

 

Did Clinton’s behavior with Lewinsky and his evasions of the truth while testifying to a grand jury in the Paula Jones lawsuit constitute “Treason, Bribery, or high crimes and misdemeanors,”the constitutional phrase that describes an impeachable offense?

 

Arguments over entries in this category often proceed through the strategy: definitions from example.

 

Another test case: Calvin Klein and the Definition of (Child) Pornography   The clothing company Calvin Klein has recently come under criticism for its so-called "Threesome" advertising campaign. Images such as the above (and related commercials) have already been banned from appearances in the US. This is only the most recent in a series of controversial marketing strategies by CK; previously the company was widely criticized for advertisements featuring images of (very thin) model Kate Moss and, more recently, commercials and print pieces with nude photos of actress Eva Mendes.  However, one of the reasons the "threesome campaign" the all of these pale in comparision to a mid-nineties ad campaign featuring underage models (and models that "looked" underage) in various states of undress. Concerns over this campaign went as far as to prompt an FBI investigation into whether the CK ads violated laws against child pornography. So, again, Arguments over entries in this category often proceed through the strategy: definitions from example:   See these even more difficult test cases:   As they often do, bathtime photos end in tragedy   Pornographers/Victims face "Sexting" charges   Verdict Rendered: "virtual child pornography"

 

 

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Definition Type 4: (arguable)

 

Terms that find themselves in need of (re)definition due to new contexts.

 

For instance, consider the 2003 Embryo Imbroglio in the UK.

 

Two infertile couples separately conceive several embryos in a test tube and then freeze the fertilized embryos for future use. Both couples then divorces and disagrees about the disposition of the embryos (in both situations, the women wish to use them to conceive a child with another, whereas the men want them destroyed).

 

Strategy:

Technically, this is a proposal issue: what action should be taken regarding this controversy?

However, all proposals are built on evaluations and this situation in particular begs to be analyzed by definitional stasis (perhaps via resemblance as well as cause/consequence stases):

 

Resemblance

Are the embryos “persons,” in which case they should be “fought” over much like a child in a custody hearing?

 

Or, are the embryos property, therefore suggesting that the couple should split them equally in accordance with standard property settlements?

 

Either point can be argued using standard Definitional and/or Categorical strategies, such as criteria-match.

 

Issue: In a divorce proceeding, is a frozen embryo a “person” rather than “property”?

 

Criteria: What criteria must be met for something to be a “person”?

 

Match: Does a frozen embryo meet these criteria?

 

Cause-Consequence

Specifically, if the ex-wives are allowed to carry and deliver these children, will the ex-husbands be liable for child support?

 

Generally, will the result of this ruling alter abortion laws? Laws regulating technologically-aided procreation?

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Yet Another Difficult Test Case: Defining (Gay) Marriage (the topic of Thursday's Thunderdome)

 

   

Preparing For the First Thunderdome:

and

Using the (Gay) Marriage Articles to Think About YOUR OWN Planning of Project Three

 

Introducing response six

 

In this response you're being asked to provide answers to six "planning questions" for response six for Project Three before class on Thursday

 

This response asks you to use the following six questions to interrogate 2 of the readings try and to plan your project, using the same questions.

 

Before 9 AM, 10/20, provide the following details about your plans for Project Three:

1. What word/term/concept/idea will you be defining?
2. What do you offer in defining this idea that has not been (well) covered elsewhere? What is your unique perspective?
3. What is the audience for this piece (be as specific as possible)?
4. How is your audience likely to feel about this issue/concept before they read your project?
5. What is your purpose in arguing this definition? (I.e, what's your point?)
6. What strategies (pathos appeals, resemblance arguments, etc.) do you plan to use in making this argument?

 

 

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Getting Started

In exploring ideas for a topic, keep in mind that you can start to approach an argument of definition by:

1. Formulating a definition (What is X?): "Terrorism is any non-wartime act of violence undertaken for political gain …"
2. Challenging a definition (Y is not X.): "Violence undertaken as part of a revolt against an oppressive regime is not terrorism …"
3. Trying to determine if something fits an accepted definition (Y is/is not X.): "The Irish Republican Army is/is not a terrorist organization ..."

Your claim, or thesis, will be a succinct statement of your definition and will be accompanied by a summary of the reasons and evidence you will use to support the claim. You should develop and explain your evidence, and briefly address opposing viewpoints, in the body of the essay. 

 

Start your research:

Today's goal:

• Come up with a tentative topic.
• Formulate one of the three tentative purpose statements above
• Find three useful sources and post them on a "p3 research page" you create on your roster.  
• Write one or two sentences annotating each source:

Each annotation should: (a) briefly summarize the resource's argument or purpose (b) discuss how it affects helps you understand, rethink, argue for, argue against, support, ground ...your term for project 3.

 

Starting our Research: 

Hit up the WAYNE STATE LIBRARY: via pipeline: http://www.lib.wayne.edu/

See:

 

• GUIDES
• English Tab
• ENG 1010/1020 Tab
• Assignment Planner for Definition Paper 
• Definition Essay (Class: ENG 1020) View
• Work on Steps 1, 2, 3 

 

 

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Moment of Zen:

Merriam-Webster's 2006 Word Of The Year

On December 8, 2006, by a 5-1 margin, truthiness was chosen as Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year, easily beating 'the google.'

 

Merriam-Webster's definition:

tru•thi•ness \'trü-thē-nəs\ n

1 : truth that comes from the gut, not books (Stephen Colbert, Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report," October 2005)

2 : the quality of preferring concepts or facts one wishes to be true, rather than concepts or facts known to be true (American Dialect Society, January 2006)

The missing definition.

However, truthiness is not in its rightful place on page 1344 of Merriam-Webster's dictionary between 'truthful' and 'truth serum'. The definazis at Merriam-Webster don't know the meaning of the word 'word.'

The corrected page 1344 is available from the Colbert Nation website.  

Better Know a Lobby - Gay Lobby Pt. 1