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Defining Terms

Have been reading old philosophers lately growing increasingly weary of the reading I do routinely as part of my job. The older I grow, the harder it seems to find anything that captures the imagination in this kind of reading about business and technology.  Reading this passage in the Confucian Analects:

In matters which he does not understand, the wise man will always reserve his judgment. If terms are not correctly defined, words will not harmonise with things. If words do not harmonise with things, public business will remain undone. If public business remains undone, order and harmony will not flourish. If order and harmony do not flourish, law and justice will not attain their ends. If law and justice do not attain their ends, the people will be unable to move hand or foot. The wise man, therefore, frames his definitions to regulate his speech, and his speech to regulate his actions. He is never reckless in his choice of words.

Even today leaders in organizations are coached on public speaking and being measured about what they say. Being on brand and on message is deemed supremely important. Yet in the midst of all that very little effort is applied into the first part of what Confucius says - the importance of correctly defining terms so words will harmonize with things. It is very hard to listen to these very well-trained, well-rehearsed folks for more than a few minutes and just about impossible to learn anything of enduring value from anything that they say.

Nowhere is this malaise more evident that in a modernly designed website. It is just about impossible to understand what anything is about. This site was awarded the best site award in 2016 - a more abstruse landing page would be hard to find. Then there is this one from 2021 that definitely fails the test of correctly defining terms. If these are the examples of the best in class of communicating ideas in today's world, it is no surprise that as a society we use word recklessly to our collective detriment. 


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