It has been said of ItDepends, that it is often used as a WeaselWord. Just what is meant by this? Are those who use it trying to escape something? Does that mean that it is used to avoid clarification or to escape making things clear?
In current studies in the SemanticWeb and in Ontology it is stressed that word meaning is clearer when one sees how it it used and upon what context its meaning depends. When a word or several words are separated from the usage and context in which it may appear, one may not have a clear understanding of just what it means. A term which seems to reappear in the literature is related to this concept of ItDepends: disambiguation.
To me this means that words are best understood when they are presented in a context. Words standing alone and without context may be ambiguous.
-- DonaldNoyes
How used in this wiki:
WeaselWords
- Shouldn't that be WeaselWords... I'm not entirely sure that being careful in how you say something is necessarily weasly. If you're being careful in how you say something in order to confuse, mis-represent, or exaggerate, I'd say that's weasly. If you're being careful in how you say something in order to improve clarity based on the particular audience you're speaking to, I don't see a problem. Accurate but less emotionally charged statements also seem fine since I'm assuming a continuing conversation will weed out any misunderstandings. The key is to make sure that conversation can take place. -- JasonYip
BadStuffWeLearnInSchool
- you're just addicted to the WeaselWords, aren't you?" "And on such weasel words you base broad universal claims like" - "there's nothing better than the education system" and "people who complain about the education system are whiners".
CarlSagansBaloneyDetectionKit
- Detection list of some of the FallaciousArguments used to support or defend"
- WeaselWords - for example, use of euphemisms for war such as "police action" to get around limitations on Presidential powers.
ThinkingAndTheCriticalThinker
- "While not synonymous with good thinking..." This seems like a 'weasel' phrase. Define 'good'. Critical thought is a method for reaching well-thought conclusions. Surely this is good.
WeaselWording
- WeaselWording is the carefully crafted language often found in contracts, specifications, political speech, and advertising that provides the originator with an opportunity to "weasel out of" any responsibility based on the statement.
ThereIsNoAbsolute
?
- 'EverythingIsRelative' and 'ThereIsNoAbsolute?' are WeaselWords (WeaselMemes??) for people who prefer to not seek truth, or who prefer to have their own inadequate theories validated. They are platitudes that brings comfort, supported by little evidence and much faith. You cannot weasel out of this by focusing on the "on a cartesian plane" and saying "hey! That makes it relative!". How can you justify not, instead, focusing on the "in a triangle" and demanding the statement be castrated to "The sum of angles on a cartesian plane is pi radians."?
- Any time the words "Everything" or "Universal" are used, you should automatically be suspicious. The "truth" of the matter is that these two words, which encompass extremely wide areas, do not surrender easily to singular classifications. -- DonaldNoyes
[That has the distinct scent of weaseliness about it, Donald. There are things which fall into the classification of "everything," "universal," and "true." To suggest that Wikizens are not capable of discerning the difference between what is absolute and what is relative invites non-stop, eternal arguments and bickering. Let's not have that here, please.]
External Links:
CategoryDefinition
Weasel Word