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In our series on how to think better, this week we are going to talk about noticing and using and enforcing definitions. Because “learning disabled students” spend so much time coping with regular school work like decoding, they often miss the nuances of other things like deeper comprehension and social cues. As society has lost most of its literacy and academic ability, then it is more easily tricked. This will help: USE DEFINiTIONS.

I told my college students to argue from definitions. It makes a strong argument. Like this: valuation is determined by the market. This house sold for $X this year. Therefore the value is $x. Therefore that is the tax valuation.
See? Or, in a case of a student: Water is made up of hydrogen and oxygen. So, what a happens if we put hydrogen and oxygen together (in this special way)? Marsupials are characterized by carrying their young in their pouches. A kangaroo carries their babies in their pouch. So what kind of animal is a kangaroo? Or for a high school student, socialism is defined as redistribution of the wealth. These people are promoting a plan to tax the rich and pay that money to the poor. So, what kind of a plan is that? Is that capitalism or is that socialism?

Not surprisingly, some people want to fudge or change definitions in mid-stream. These are mostly peaceful protestors; they protest by breaking plate glass windows, stealing merchandise, and burning buildings. Only a few people have been injured. These other protestors are protesting one nation’s purported occupation by occupying the administration building at their college. They are protesting carefully targeted warfare that responded to a very large very heinous terrorist act, as genocide. So, to protest, they are calling for genocide of an entire people worldwide. To advertise that position, they are refusing entrance to class buildings to students who identify with that people group. Well know this is in the news. So, wait, what is the definition of “peaceful”, “occupation,” “genocide”? Do you see that this is at the heart of the discussion.

First, people get triggered, and instead of being able to have a useful conversation on whatever the topic is, such as a particular foriegn conflict or what student in the USA should do about it, they go off on some emotional rant based on emotional feelings somewhat, if tangentially, related. For that, see last episode. Then, they have difficult conversations, but the definitions are not agreed to and are not stable. No one can make progress like that.

Do not let other people fool you by switching definitions on you. This happens all the time in advertising. You go from wanting to be successful, offered the chance to be superior in every way because of that desire, to being a slovenly lazy ass because you don’t buy the very expensive course. Self-critique of being willing to consider alternate ways of proceeding becomes s never ending struggle session where only compliance and self-hate is permitted. It goes on and one.

What is a Christian Nationalist? Some one who is both patriotic and a Christian? Or some right = wing extremist who is a violent, racist, armed terrorist?

Argue from definitions for a strong argument. Watch how others use and mis-use definitions.