[A Game:] We begin by asking the meaning of every word uttered:Then we ask the meaning of the words used in the definitions and, and this process is continued for no more than ten or fifteen minutes until the victim begins to speak in circles...
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Tracing word meanings to their definitions quickly reveals circular reasoning in language.
- In plain terms
- Asking what every word means leads to loops fast.
- What can you take from it?
- Test definitions to find circular logic.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Where do you see circular definitions?
- What words lack clear meaning?
Another view
Some circularity is unavoidable in language.
More from Alfred Korzybski
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Permalink to quote #28 Thus, we see that one of the obvious origins of human disagreement lies in the use of noises for words.
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