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From: gsmith@garnet.berkeley.edu (Gene W. Smith)
Newsgroups: news.groups
Subject: Re: The Topic that wouldn't go away (re: sci vs. talk)
Message-ID: <1990Feb7.113634.29231@agate.berkeley.edu>
Date: 7 Feb 90 11:36:34 GMT
References: <3284@iitmax.IIT.EDU> <3285@iitmax.IIT.EDU> <9442@medusa.cs.purdue.edu> <7346@tank.uchicago.edu> <1990Feb1.005817.1786@everexn.uucp> <1726@milton.acs.washington.edu> <1990Feb7.005905.1037@twwells.com>
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Reply-To: gsmith@garnet.berkeley.edu (Gene W. Smith)
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In-reply-to: bill@twwells.com (T. William Wells)

In article <1990Feb7.005905.1037@twwells.com>, bill@twwells (T.
William Wells) writes:

>Something that may make a difference: Merriam-Webster's is a
>descriptive dictionary: it describes the langauge as used.

  It is also worth remembering in this context that it takes more
than a brief dictionary entry to supply all the nuances. If one
were to use the phrase, "the science of cooking", that would be
correct. If one were to say, "Cooking is one of the established
sciences", then that would *not* be correct. Why not? because
that is how the language is used, and usage needs to be respected
if communication is to be achieved.

>That is a non sequitur. I would say that you've been mislead by
>the modern fad of using 'science' to refer to the natural
>sciences only.

  I think this is more than a fad--it is linguistic change.
'Science' increasingly means the natural sciences *only* in most
discourse, a reflection of how important the natural sciences
have become in the XX century. Usages like "the science of
cooking" are still correct, but I think they are becoming rarer,
and this definition is on the way to obsolescence. Which is a
pretty good reason if one more were needed to avoid such usages
in newsgroup hierarchies.
--
ucbvax!garnet!gsmith      Gene Ward Smith/Brahms Gang/Berkeley CA 94720
Proud member of ECIS -- "An effete corps of impudent snobs" -- I division