Words we've learned since reading Think Atheist
Those who know me must think I see only negative in the world... which is often true :(
So I thought I'd be a positivist for a moment, and thank Think|Atheist for offering an intense debating forum where reality and rationality usually prevail :)
I was a anglo-Newfie plunked down in French-Québec at age 4. I had to become bilingual real fast and negotiate some pretty brutal cultural paradigm shifts, as a hated anglo, growing up through the October '70 crisis when Canada imposed martial law onto Québec, jailed thousands of innocents, causing thousands more to go into hiding and burn all personal mementos/correspondence that might be deemed treasonous, including some of my family members. My region was separatist (with which I fundamentally have always agreed, and the separatist government was responsible for removing education from the hands of the clergy, but only after I was done high school), but schooling included daily religion/catechism, which I despised. In the end, knowledge, reason, and sheer pig-headedness inculcated by my atheist parents, are the traits that eventually got me through those hard times. Some days I wished it was my incredible sense of humour and charisma that were my best traits, but they weren't... LoL!
Being multilingual brings many pleasures to life, but I also missed out on certain speciality areas of vocabulary, and my literary/philosophical vocabulary in English still needs much improvement. Learning is a perpetual life endeavour, and were it not for my heavy school loans, I'd spend all my life in school. But, T|A provides some degree of compensation :)
My favourite new word I've learned here is (hoping it's not more common than I perceive):
Disingenuous. Such an interesting word for debates, subtly distinguishing itself from the act of lying.
What are your favourite new words?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Dave G on -
I wish, Reg. Not all atheists are rational thinkers. A prime example would be the Raelian cult. They do not believe in any deities (and are therefore technically atheist), but they have plenty of irrational beliefs nonetheless.
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Permalink Reply by Mo Trauen on -
I had always heard that poppycock was an English borrowing from the Dutch, meaning "soft shit".
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Permalink Reply by T A A on -
LoL, I truly never thought this discussion would head in this direction! LMAO
That puts a whole new perspective on Adriana getting goosebumps with that image and Dawkins in mind.... :P
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Permalink Reply by Mo Trauen on
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I don't think you were getting goosebumps; sounds more like certain select bumps were swelling. 8-O
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Permalink Reply by Doug Reardon on -
dandyfunk: a salt biscuit dipped in oil. It's not even in the OED anymore. Absquatchulate: to pilfer the goods and go on the lam.
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Permalink Reply by Bill on -
Here are a couple words I learned in school that I've got to use a time or two here:
sympleseomorphic
synaptomorphic
They are fun to throw around when we feel like being a little cladistic.
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Permalink Reply by Gregor Basić on -
You are probably not aware that if you google that word you get only your post here, maybe you have misspelled it?
Same with the second word, it actually goes: synapomorphic, or am I wrong?
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Permalink Reply by Laura Foster on -
Well I just today picked up the word "teledildonics".
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