Game theorists hope to solve world's crises

[Nick Thompson]

Steve,

 

 

Bonapropism? And yes we have hijacked this thread.

 

n

 

 

Nicholas S. Thompson

Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Ethology,

Clark University ([hidden email])

http://home.earthlink.net/~nickthompson/naturaldesigns/

http://www.cusf.org [City University of Santa Fe]

 

 

 

 

----- Original Message -----

From: [hidden email]

To: [hidden email]

Sent: 12/2/2009 7:06:45 PM

Subject: Re: [FRIAM] Game theorists hope to solve world's crises

I also liked Glen's use of "Convicted" as the (active/past?) form of "Conviction".   It invoked the appropriate image of _jail_ as Glen pointed out while alluding (alliteratively?) to Convinced.

My wife is the master (mistress?) of deliberate, well-crafted malapropisms such as this.  She uses them unabashedly and without comment... it is up to the rest of us to "catch up".

Perhaps the best (at least the first I encountered decades ago when we met) was her use of the term "excuse closet" where "excuse clause" would be more conventional... invoking the wonderful multiple reference to all the things one might stuff into a "junk closet", to "hiding behind a closet full of excuses", to having a whole pantry (closet) well stocked with excuses.

Is there a better term than simply "malapropism"?   "deliberate malapropism" captures a little more, but it is the "mal" that I object to... it is more that the "propism" is hijacked or co-opted in a deliberate and clever fashion.

Carry on!
- Steve

Quoting Nicholas Thompson circa 09-12-02 04:06 PM:
  

Glen, I LIKED THIS.  I particularly liked it, though, because of the odd
usage of convicted (for convinced).  Was that a sllip of the fingers, or
perhaps you are starting a new meme?  
    

Thanks.  I do it to highlight how stupid it is to put yourself in a
mental _jail_ ... to make yourself a mental convict by being convinced
of any one thing or another.

  

============================================================
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org

[Douglas Roberts-2]

The topic strayed inside the 600 mile limit:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gEIzqoHa_dZfk5RZ-e16TJnv0BVgD9CBHLR00

On Wed, Dec 2, 2009 at 7:21 PM, Nicholas Thompson <[hidden email]> wrote:

 

  And yes we have hijacked this thread.

 

n

 

 

Nicholas S. Thompson

Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Ethology,

Clark University ([hidden email])

http://home.earthlink.net/~nickthompson/naturaldesigns/

http://www.cusf.org [City University of Santa Fe]

 

 

 

 

----- Original Message -----

From: [hidden email]

To: [hidden email]

Sent: 12/2/2009 7:06:45 PM

Subject: Re: [FRIAM] Game theorists hope to solve world's crises

I also liked Glen's use of "Convicted" as the (active/past?) form of "Conviction".   It invoked the appropriate image of _jail_ as Glen pointed out while alluding (alliteratively?) to Convinced.

My wife is the master (mistress?) of deliberate, well-crafted malapropisms such as this.  She uses them unabashedly and without comment... it is up to the rest of us to "catch up".

Perhaps the best (at least the first I encountered decades ago when we met) was her use of the term "excuse closet" where "excuse clause" would be more conventional... invoking the wonderful multiple reference to all the things one might stuff into a "junk closet", to "hiding behind a closet full of excuses", to having a whole pantry (closet) well stocked with excuses.

Is there a better term than simply "malapropism"?   "deliberate malapropism" captures a little more, but it is the "mal" that I object to... it is more that the "propism" is hijacked or co-opted in a deliberate and clever fashion.

Carry on!
- Steve

Quoting Nicholas Thompson circa 09-12-02 04:06 PM:
  

Glen, I LIKED THIS.  I particularly liked it, though, because of the odd
usage of convicted (for convinced).  Was that a sllip of the fingers, or
perhaps you are starting a new meme?  
    

Thanks.  I do it to highlight how stupid it is to put yourself in a
mental _jail_ ... to make yourself a mental convict by being convinced
of any one thing or another.

  

============================================================
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org

--
Doug Roberts
[hidden email]
[hidden email]
505-455-7333 - Office
505-670-8195 - Cell

============================================================
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org

[Russ Abbott]

So it sounds like what you are talking about as a wacko is someone who is not open to discussion or consideration of other views. I wouldn't use the term wacko for that. Closed minded seems more descriptive. But I agree with you that closed mindedness is an unattractive attribute.

I would distinguish closed-mindedness from enthusiasm, though. You mention people who develop an enthusiasm (perhaps too much of an enthusiasm for you) for yoga, or snake venom, or whatever. Most of those people, I suspect would acknowledge that they have had previous enthusiasms that they later found less compelling--and that their latest enthusiasm may also meet that same fate.

I would also distinguish closed-mindedness from rhetorical convention. Politicians tend to find that speaking assertively, making statements as if there were no alternative, is an effective way to convince people of something. Lawyers tend to do the same thing. Lawyers tend to frame their arguments "I am right because" not "well, it could be this or it could be that, but I think it's this." My sense is that people are swayed by unequivical assertive statements because of the force of personality behind it.  "If he feels so strongly about it, I don't want to get in the way. I Might be rolled over. And besides, it's not as important to me as it seems to be to him." That's why (it seems to me) that assertiveness and (the appearance of) CERTAINTY tend to be effective rhetorical devices. So in some (many) cases, people who appear CERTAIN are less certain than they appear.

-- Russ

On Wed, Dec 2, 2009 at 6:06 PM, Steve Smith <[hidden email]> wrote:

I also liked Glen's use of "Convicted" as the (active/past?) form of "Conviction".   It invoked the appropriate image of _jail_ as Glen pointed out while alluding (alliteratively?) to Convinced.

My wife is the master (mistress?) of deliberate, well-crafted malapropisms such as this.  She uses them unabashedly and without comment... it is up to the rest of us to "catch up".

Perhaps the best (at least the first I encountered decades ago when we met) was her use of the term "excuse closet" where "excuse clause" would be more conventional... invoking the wonderful multiple reference to all the things one might stuff into a "junk closet", to "hiding behind a closet full of excuses", to having a whole pantry (closet) well stocked with excuses.

Is there a better term than simply "malapropism"?   "deliberate malapropism" captures a little more, but it is the "mal" that I object to... it is more that the "propism" is hijacked or co-opted in a deliberate and clever fashion.

Carry on!
- Steve

Quoting Nicholas Thompson circa 09-12-02 04:06 PM:
  

Glen, I LIKED THIS.  I particularly liked it, though, because of the odd
usage of convicted (for convinced).  Was that a sllip of the fingers, or
perhaps you are starting a new meme?  
    

Thanks.  I do it to highlight how stupid it is to put yourself in a
mental _jail_ ... to make yourself a mental convict by being convinced
of any one thing or another.

  

============================================================
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org

============================================================
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org

[Steve Smith]

mea culpa!  

I will try to remember to retopic my side-comments.

The topic strayed inside the 600 mile limit:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gEIzqoHa_dZfk5RZ-e16TJnv0BVgD9CBHLR00

On Wed, Dec 2, 2009 at 7:21 PM, Nicholas Thompson <[hidden email]> wrote:

 

  And yes we have hijacked this thread.

 

n

 

 

Nicholas S. Thompson

Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Ethology,

Clark University ([hidden email])

http://home.earthlink.net/~nickthompson/naturaldesigns/

http://www.cusf.org [City University of Santa Fe]

 

 

 

 

----- Original Message -----

From: [hidden email]

To: [hidden email]

Sent: 12/2/2009 7:06:45 PM

Subject: Re: [FRIAM] Game theorists hope to solve world's crises

I also liked Glen's use of "Convicted" as the (active/past?) form of "Conviction".   It invoked the appropriate image of _jail_ as Glen pointed out while alluding (alliteratively?) to Convinced.

My wife is the master (mistress?) of deliberate, well-crafted malapropisms such as this.  She uses them unabashedly and without comment... it is up to the rest of us to "catch up".

Perhaps the best (at least the first I encountered decades ago when we met) was her use of the term "excuse closet" where "excuse clause" would be more conventional... invoking the wonderful multiple reference to all the things one might stuff into a "junk closet", to "hiding behind a closet full of excuses", to having a whole pantry (closet) well stocked with excuses.

Is there a better term than simply "malapropism"?   "deliberate malapropism" captures a little more, but it is the "mal" that I object to... it is more that the "propism" is hijacked or co-opted in a deliberate and clever fashion.

Carry on!
- Steve

Quoting Nicholas Thompson circa 09-12-02 04:06 PM:
  

Glen, I LIKED THIS.  I particularly liked it, though, because of the odd
usage of convicted (for convinced).  Was that a sllip of the fingers, or
perhaps you are starting a new meme?  
    

Thanks.  I do it to highlight how stupid it is to put yourself in a
mental _jail_ ... to make yourself a mental convict by being convinced
of any one thing or another.

  

============================================================
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org

--
Doug Roberts
[hidden email]
[hidden email]
505-455-7333 - Office
505-670-8195 - Cell

============================================================
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org

============================================================
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org