• YoungBelden [any]
    ·
    1 year ago

    I agree and disagree. Or maybe I agree but want to disagree. the materialist versus idealist divide is such a basic and important concept in philosophy that I feel like anyone should at least understand that the words have different meanings in that context. but getting people to understand that words are just tenuous representations of concepts is a hard sell.

    other problematic words are fetishism and reactionary

    • Venus [she/her]
      ·
      1 year ago

      fetishism

      You'd think this would be an easy one considering we're already primed to different definitions of the word fetish. Everyone knows that a fetish can be a trinket believed to have some kind of magic power. But somehow they still get hung up on it.

      And yeah I've had a couple of arguments where people get hung up on the word reactionary and just go "nope, you must not own a dictionary" when I explain the definition I'm using lol

      • silent_water [she/her]
        ·
        1 year ago

        gonna be honest - most people think fetishism is an accusation that they're into some weird stuff of the horny kind. the origins of the word have been lost, much as with materialism.

      • TheLepidopterists [he/him]
        ·
        1 year ago

        Everyone knows that a fetish can be a trinket believed to have some kind of magic power.

        I wish, I swear to God I can't mention a magic item in my Werewolf game without my players howling with laughter

        • UlyssesT [he/him]
          ·
          1 year ago

          character points at magic item in character's possession "That's my fetish."

          dont-laugh

      • BGDelirium [he/him]
        ·
        1 year ago

        I've never heard fetishism used in the magic item co text and I'm your garden variety precocious nerd, voracious reader, some interest in fantasy/sci-fi type

      • Rod_Blagojevic [none/use name]
        ·
        edit-2
        1 year ago

        Everyone knows that a fetish can be a trinket believed to have some kind of magic power.

        I suggest testing that hypothesis.

        Edit: Because it'll be hilarious.

        • UlyssesT [he/him]
          ·
          1 year ago

          Open up a fetish shop, with the intended wares announced on the sign, and see what most of the clientele intend to purchase. volcel-judge

    • axont [she/her, comrade/them]
      ·
      1 year ago

      Flashback to that time David Rubin heard reactionary for the first time and instantly tried reclaiming it "yeah I'm reactionary about free speech"