Does anyone else get annoyed when (often philosophical) words are misused in common speach? Examples: Some anti-consumerist or anti-capitalists say “Materialism is bad,” which is annoying as a dialectical materialist. Materialism is the philosophy of putting matter over mind when studying the world, not liking fancy things. People frequently complain about “cynicism” meaning self-interest, cold-heartedness, or unreasonable skepticism. In reality it’s an ancient philosophy of living naturally and virtuously, rejecting social norms and ideals. I legit heard someone saying Stoicism means seriousness as in taking a sport seriously. It’s a philosophy of living virtuously and avoiding unnecessary psychological pain. These days people only know “op/ps” as opposition not operatives or operations. Finally, I know someone who thinks “dialectics” pretty much just means talking.
(not sure if this is the right comm, but it’s a rant)
I often prefer to use a term in a way that’s archaically broad or technically strict, if the contexts in which it is used have narrowed over time, and especially if some older or more specialized uses are retained in some tradition that I am/have engaged with.
Sometimes it even peeves me when people use a word that has a history or tradition associated with it, but in a way that reveals ignorance or disconnection from that tradition.
But the older I get, the easier I find it to keep in mind the fact that most words I experience this way are really, actually technical terms. Technical terms do have special, precise meanings, but only within the special, precise fields that define them. In ordinary language, terms aren’t ‘defined into existence’ but are rather described, captured in snapshots from a messy, vague, ambiguous, and ever-evolving reality of human speech.
It’s also good to have some humility and consider that when someone uses a word in a way that seems off to you, they may be doing so in continuity with another tradition that you’re just not yet aware of. It’s a bit embarrassing but there are times where I’ve mentally corrected people in my head, ‘translating’ their speech or writing to use different phrasing, only to realize later that they were speaking precisely and correctly in a way that I just didn’t understand at the time.