The ‘fact’ of a ‘matter’ is its ‘physical-functioning, on-the-ground’;
whereas its ‘meaning’ is ‘a mere string of words’.
———-
Let us also now ’employ’
the 3 (Three) Principles of Good Communication and Honest-Argumentation:
1 Be clear, 2 Be charitable, 3 Be self-corrigible.
———
Let us relevantly-recognise
the findings and advances in Knowledge and in Know-How,
made by our Predecessors and by ‘current-others’.
e.g. Professor Joad
as he revealed his life and academic findings
notably through the weekly BBC Radio “Brains Trust” ‘panel’ programme
before, during, and for a short while after, World War 2.
“The Brains Trust”
was a good-humoured group of “top brains”
at a weekly round table
focusedly-conversing and seriously discussing
topics of general-interest
as well as one or two topics of great-import.
Many different facts and factors were naturally successively brought forward,
and “clarity” was easier to achieve than “charity” – the latter requiring oned to recognbise anything ‘good’ or ‘sound’ in an opponenty6’s or othjer-participant’s contribution or comment.
[“Self-Correction” had long been thought to be the most difficult of the 3 principles to bring about.]
Anyway, Dr Joad’s ‘point’ always came after a few seconds of ‘dramatic’ often ‘ominous’ delay –
and then he would invariably say
“It all depends what you mean by _ _ _ _ _ _ _ “
—–
and good-natured chuckling would ‘save-the-day’
– from the different and often ‘conflicting’ viewpoints
and awkwardnesses
that must follow such a challenge.
————-
It must have been 50 years later that the ‘ensuing’ clarification came to mind –
that such a ‘point-of-order’ should be worded
“It all depends upon what is meant by _ _ _ _ _ _ _ “.
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