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Hermeneutics: The pursuit of meaning following specified principles of interpretation.
Heresy: An opinion or doctrine at variance with those generally accepted as authoritative.
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Category Archives: Cognition
Inevitability of understanding: The folk theory
The statement from Ariana Huffington (in bold below) is one of the best examples of the folk theory upon which Critical Discourse Analysis is based – namely that words influence people in certain inevitable ways. It is also a good … Continue reading
Posted in Cognition, Framing, Society and politics
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Blending and framing by paradox
Google Reader (1000+) “Democracy means government by discussion, but it is only effective if you can stop people talking.” (Clement Atlee) There is no doubt that pithy aphorisms are an important instrument in the socialisation toolkit (construction inventory) or any … Continue reading
Unintended consequences of political correctness
Colbert I. King – Why Obama Stands With His Church – washingtonpost.com This history comes to mind as I listen to conservative commentators, chief among them MSNBC’s Pat Buchanan, brand as "racist" the slogan adopted by Trinity United Church of … Continue reading
Individual perspicacity, collective naïveté
Nicholas Kristof is puzzled and pleased that the US electorate is keeping two individuals as front runners who are willing to express unpopular opinions: The World’s Worst Panderer – New York Times All of this is puzzlingly mature on the … Continue reading
Primogeniture: Negotiating the internal ‘logic’ of social change
BBC – Radio 4 Woman’s Hour -Male Primogeniture Jenni discusses the law of primogeniture with Liberal Democrat MP Lynne Featherstone, who has asked the Equality and Human Rights Commission to investigate the legality of this centuries old practice, and to … Continue reading
The perception problem and the question of rationality in life
Women Are Never Front-Runners – New York Times But what worries me is that he is seen as unifying by his race while she is seen as divisive by her sex. What worries me is that she is accused of … Continue reading
Negotiating radial categories: Some mothers do have them
Is It Possible To Be Half-Adopted? Imagining someone giving away semen or an egg couldn’t possibly feel the same as imagining a parent giving a way a baby. Could it? The friend who asked whether I consider Mrs. Ramirez to … Continue reading
Posted in Cognition, Framing, Linguistics
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Collective cognition, culture, mind share and patterns of action
Ubuntu: Just how popular is it? – Starry Hope Productions…Ubuntu has managed to gain a large portion of the Linux mind share, at least amongst the tech community. Wikipedia: Mind share is the amount of attention required by something and … Continue reading
Posted in Cognition, Framing, Science, Social Science
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Phallic imagery in English-language comedy and the theory of image schemas
Now, there’s no doubt in my mind whatsoever that George Lakoff’s theory of mental imagery (usually referred to via the concept of Image Schemas) describes a phenomenon that is profoundly real. However, the question remains what kind of reality it … Continue reading
Posted in Analogies, Cognition, Linguistics
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More meaningful than what? Populations and truth in social science
WHNews: Pay Gap – No Pay Day As of 30th October, if you’re a woman and you go out to work, you’re working for nothing until the 31st December. The Fawcett Society and the union Unison have declared today ‘Women’s … Continue reading
Posted in Analogies, Cognition, Philosophy, Social Science
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