thanks, keith,
i too use "radical" in the sense of "going to the roots of an issue,"
avoiding being sidetracked by leaves -- not necessarily eradicating the
problem, as you suggest, but understanding it.
ken's post is a good example of how the supposed authority of a dictionary
fails -- whether he quotes from a bad dictionary or selects the meanings he
prefers, i do not know, in any case without asking the user of the word what
he or she meant by it. shouldn't the author be the authority on what he or
she has written? - but we had this conversation before on this list without
effecting its flow.
klaus
-----Original Message-----
From: PhD-Design - This list is for discussion of PhD studies and related
research in Design [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Keith
Russell
Sent: Wednesday, January 23, 2008 6:54 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: radicals and roots
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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