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Helm, I'll check my books on Ancient Greek, which I understood to be different from modern day Greek, but if you're right, then I apologize.
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Yeah, they are different in how olde english is different from American. Beowulf to say, from Seinfield or what you call it. But I said I know my ancient greek very well, because I've always been fascinated with the subject of language and how nececity is expressed through it, and I persued this in school.
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emotion, that proves that the CONCEPT of this emotion exists.
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Nobody tried to say the concept of love doesn't exist (or if they did, they're silly and I'm not defending them). What I am saying, is that said concept is flawed, unfounded, and prepertuates social issues that need to be resolved. Sure, people mean about the same when they say love, but that doesn't nec. mean that what they mean actually translates into reality. Not by a longshot.
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The fact that we are having this discussion at all proves that the Concept of love exists.
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As in the concept of god? Sigh. It's a good analogy. Sure, the concept of *anything* exists, to try a CLAspinster defence, but what does that tell us? Nothing terribly important, besides the fact that said concept is needed, and that it serves a social purpose!
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The fact that words were needed to express the feeling is validation that a feeling existed that necessitated the creation of a word.
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Ridiculous? Read my statement again. Last line. I never said "blah blah blah makes any of them more or less existant", I said 'makes any of them more or less right". I was making an ethical argument, not an existential one. And as such you should approach it. Anything exists as a notion. It's whether it's a socially positive notion that's on question now. Again, I make my position clear: I do not say Love does not exist. I said we attribute to the sum of the feelings we claim to be Love, too many things, without as much founding, and because of questionable reasons. I do not deny the existence of the chemicals in your brain that make you want to stick your penis in orfices, or your social need for communication and mutual respect, or what you deem as Love. I question what you, or any other uses the social construction that is the notion of Love for though.
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Language did not happen by accident. Words aren't just "found". Meaning isn't assigned randomly. People expressly assign meaning to particular words and phrases, allowing communication.
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Yeah. Language operates on necessity. Where did I give you the impression that I supported the theory that words just pop up?
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Like I said, I'll check on that translation, and if you're right, there are a lot of professors here at VA Tech that will be surprised.
And if you're offended that I chose Greek for my analogy, will, I could just as easily choose Hebrew or Latin if you like.
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That claim of 172342435 words for love is just more pop guess what? unfounded trivia that people like to throw at each other at parties. Ask around. And I wasn't offended at all, especially after your astute debunking of the 'greeks are homosexuals so whatever they did must have been about homo lovin' sillyness. You seem to have a grasp of the historic truth, it's just what you said was more than what you could back up on that case. I'm not out to play greek vigilante or anything.