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Misunderstood concepts/phrases that make me crazy

#63
TheBigO said:
I'm simply saying that at any given instant on average 10% of the brains neurons are firing. Which ones is dictated by what is occurring in the brain at that exact instant.
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This is still wrong, though. Just look at any MRI or PET scan. Every part of the brain is constantly working. You don't just switch off parts of the brain when you're "not using them" (which is impossible). Yes, the action of smelling something may only utilize your olfactory bulb and the motor neurons that control inhalation. But that doesn't mean that the rest of your brain has been turned off. Every other part of your brain is still being used. Your cerebellum, your thalamus, your hippocampus, your pons... All of them are constantly at work. If they weren't, you would be dead, or brain damaged to the point of being a vegetable.
 
#64
A scientific law is typically a particularly well-understood part of a broader theory. For example, Ohm's law is a specific instance of electromagnetic theory.

It grates on my nerves when people say that the dynamic nature of science is a weakness, when it's actually its greatest strength. Adapting or even discarding pieces of theoretical framework as we learn more about a particular thing is how science progresses. We wouldn't have gotten very far with anything if science didn't adapt.

That and the notion that a scientific theory is mere conjecture really send me into the fits.
 
#71
delivers.jpg
 
#72
Scarlet Fire said:
This is still wrong, though. Just look at any MRI or PET scan. Every part of the brain is constantly working. You don't just switch off parts of the brain when you're "not using them" (which is impossible). Yes, the action of smelling something may only utilize your olfactory bulb and the motor neurons that control inhalation. But that doesn't mean that the rest of your brain has been turned off. Every other part of your brain is still being used. Your cerebellum, your thalamus, your hippocampus, your pons... All of them are constantly at work. If they weren't, you would be dead, or brain damaged to the point of being a vegetable.
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Either I'm not being clear or you're missing my point or both. Or perhaps I said something misleading earlier. Of course entire regions of the brain don't shut off completely.

But every neuron in your brain (or even every neuron in any given region save for during a seizure) isn't being fired at once.

Neurons all over the brain are firing constantly, with different areas seeing higher or lower than baseline activity depending on the task of the brain at that instant.
 
#73
jazzy grille said:
This thread is full of facepalm..

Who cares if people use a phrase or saying wrong... Get over it.
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I care, jazzy; that's my point. People used to have standards, and people used to accept criticism and make an effort to expand their knowledge and not sound like idiots.

It's more of an attitude change that bugs me: this idea that if learning the details is too much trouble, then let's just say it doesn't matter... but that doesn't stop them from having stubbornly strong (ignorant, and wrong) opinions on the subject.

Grammar and spelling are good examples. I don't know if it's simply that, due to the internet, more uneducated people have an outlet for their writing that historically was never present before, and we are simply exposed to more bad writing than before, or if people are actually getting stupider and less-educated (my guess is that it's a little of both).

My point is, people used to feel ashamed of bad writing and make an effort to correct themselves if they found something wrong (that they should have learned, or did, in school), especially if the errors were published and put out into the world. But now, people say, "Who cares? You know what I meant" (or more likely: "who cares? u kno wut i mean"). I've even seen this attitude from professional journalists and that's not right. It's indicative of laziness and low standards.
 
#75
Dave,

When I saw the thread title I expected to find less erudite examples of offending words and phrases and a little more humor. Hey - your thread, your choice and I am certainly not complaining. It's somewhat ironic that, based on your last comment;

I've even seen this attitude from professional journalists and that's not right. It's indicative of laziness and low standards.

your opening salvo was "Begs the question", don't you agree? :p

There comes a point in everyday conversation where latitude must be granted in order for real communication to happen.

For example; my seven year old daughter who is a stickler for rules and structure will allow the misuse of a word or phrase to completely blow the fun she would otherwise be having if her five year old brother didn't utter it.

But because he said, "tenny shoe" instead of "tennis shoe" she feels compelled to shout "Wait! That's not the right word! Stop playing!! Where are you going? Jaden... It's 'tennis shoe - tenn-IS' not... HEY!!! are you listening!!! MOM!!!

OK - that's a bit of an exaggeration. But it's hard to avoid the "Grammar Nazi" label when you decide to vent spleen about spelling and grammar.
 
#77
LOL, well, I didn't intend for this thread to just be a forum for random ranting.

I agree that in everyday conversation (and even in formal writing), there certainly comes a point when it's more trouble than it's worth, and even counterproductive, to be concerned with grammar and spelling. After all, the point of grammar is clear communication. Bad grammar can and does cause miscommunications, and I think we'd all agree that that's not ideal, especially in formal applications like law, politics, or journalism. Imagine the ensuing mess if a congressional bill were to read, "Affordable healthcare for our citizenry is the United States' penultimate priority and we should budget accordingly."

I think people take this attitude ("it doesn't matter as long as we both understand each other") too far. You (collectively; I don't mean you specifically, tZer) may think it's acceptable to write lazily on an internet forum, or in an internal company email, but then many people wonder (noisily) why they're not getting paid "what they're worth," etc... There is a causal relationship. I hope this makes sense.

Frankly, I'm not offended by the term "grammar Nazi," even though I was raised Jewish :smug: Decent grammar (and flawless spelling, especially in the spell-check age) are appropriate expectations for adults.
 
#78
Dave Muscato said:
I'll start.

"Begs the question" - For some reason, people think this means "this question needs to be asked," to quote a friend of mine. The example she gave, when I asked her what she thinks it means, is, "If someone says, 'I colored my hair pink,' that begs the question, 'Why?'"

Folks, begging the question is a specific type of logical fallacy, also known as circular reasoning. Begging the question specifically means that you are trying to use something as proof for an argument that depends on a previous, as-yet-unproven premise being true.

For example, if Person A says, "God is virtuous," and Person B says, "How do you know?" and Person A responds, "Because the Bible says so," and Person B says, "How do you know the Bible is correct?" and Person A says, "Because God wrote the Bible and God is never wrong," and Person B asks, "How do you know God is never wrong?" and Person A responds, "Because truthfulness is a virtue, and God is virtuous." *That* is begging the question.

People use this logical fallacy all the time in casual conversation and in debates, and there is a common and valid use for the phrase. However, merely saying something that simply invites a follow-up question is NOT "begging the question."

Argh.
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Ah, the eternal struggle against ignorance. Like bailing out the Titanic with a thimble... :hmm:

MM
 
#79
Here's one that gets me a bit.

Oftentimes people will describe reversing direction as a 360 when then mean 180. 360 brings you back to where you started - a full circle so to speak. You can usually get what people mean by the context, but it would help those of us who deal with numbers often if folks used these two correctly.

However, I just read someone use 360 correctly in describing a business guy who went from CFO of a large firm to CEO of a smaller firm then back to CFO of a large firm.
 
#80
Vorago said:
The difference between 'language evolution' and 'ignorance'/'uneducation' is purely in the eye of the beholder. In linguistics (in which I'm mastering next year) scientists are far beyond the point where there's 'good' and 'bad' language. Sadly, the public opinion isn't there yet.

Anyway, while I agree that in certain environments a certain language standard should be met, I think:

1) It's dangerous to judge people purely on the language they speak. I get comments on my accent as well, and I really don't give a flying **** . If you're judging me on the sound of my vowels I'd rather not know you in the first place.

2) There are more important things to worry about.
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Just thought I'd quote that... its pretty much how I feel, but with some educatin' to back it up. Also, I seem to recall reading somewhere that people calling out 'bad' language usually claim that things are in decline and that there used to be standards. I've just never really thought that things were going that badly for poor old language.

Also, anyone with an undergrad education knows that beging the question doesn't mean raising the question? I'm back for round two after an undergrad degree, and I can't say I knew the "correct" use before this thread (thanks for that by the by). I'd never heard any other use than raises the question, but I don't think that my ignorance about that makes me stupid somehow, or should suggest that I'm somehow less intelligent than someone that does use the phrase "correctly"...
 

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