While Ken quotes the more common and US understanding of the possible
negative uses of the term "radical", the word also has better uses.
Radical comes from "root" - so a radical is one who believes there are
roots to problems, issues etc.
If we determine the root of the problem we can eradicate the problem,
once and for all because we have pulled the weed up, roots and all.
For S T Coleridge, the serious effort was the attempt to radicate things
- find the roots.
Some of the discussion on fiction has been about pulling up weeds, some
about determining the roots of things in order to know and provide a
better account.
Some has been about just having a good old logical flirtation.
cheers from a free radical
keith russell
OZ newcastle
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