From: Lee Corbin (lcorbin@tsoft.com)
Date: Fri Oct 25 2002 - 21:58:49 MDT
ON the subject of the meanings of the terms---one doesn't
wish to show one's ignorance of course---Steve explains
how the class of *oxymorons* differs from the class of
items which are *contradictions in terms*.
> Would you mind explaining exactly why "anarcho-capitalism"
> is *not* an oxymoron given that the original poster believed
> it to be a contradiction in terms?
>
> Sure. By my understanding "anarcho-capitalism *is* an oxymoron today because
> the two terms are generally seen as incongruous.
Okay, then I was wrong. Anarcho-capitalism technically is
an oxymoron, but...
> As the definition states, an oxymoron is
> a figure of speech (trope) which combines
> incongruous terms, one of which at least
> is usually a quality as opposed to an entity.
> The point is this is done for effect, the
> incongruity is used to make the idea
> arresting (and hence persuasive). There
> is no implication that the entity the
> oxymoron refers to is impossible.
A very common error, evidently. When the joke
is executed whereby it's claimed "Military
Intelligence is an oxymoron", people usually
take that to imply that "MI" is a contradiction
in terms. Do you have *good* examples of
oxymorons?
> A contradiction in terms is an argument or
> definition where the terms of the definition/
> argument are mutually exclusive e.g. "a wet
> dryness". It's clear this is what people
> like the original poster [had in mind] since
> they define market relations as inherently
> oppressive or domination generating by their
> nature, hence if anarchy is defined as being
> the absence of such relations it and capitalism
> are mutually exclusive.
> I agree with Mike Lorrey that this is a specious
> form of special pleading since it involves
> ignoring the well known and accepted definitions
> of the terms. Steve Davies
Also, it's not clear to me whether the class of
oxymorons is a subset of the class of CITs, or
vice versa---or if indeed either is a subset of
the other.
Lee
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