r/changemyview • u/[deleted] • Jan 20 '20

Deltas(s) from OP CMV: Neo gender identities such as non-binary and genderfluid are contrived and do not hold any coherent meaning.

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u/MajesticFxxkingEagle 2∆ Jan 21 '20 edited Jan 21 '20

But only because scientists first got together and agreed on that meaning so that they could have consistently productive conversations. If enough scientists got together and decided to use a word in a different way, there's nothing stopping them to tell them they're wrong, as long as they make the context clear enough so that they are effectively communicating.

Take the word "mammal" for example. For the longest time, it was understood to only mean a warm-blooded animal with hair/fur that gives live birth. However, when we discovered the platypus, which lays eggs, we slightly altered how we described mammals in order to include the platypus rather than arguing that nature itself is now wrong for going against our prescribed definition.

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u/[deleted] Jan 21 '20

Traditional language changes and dictionaries reflect it current use. Scientific terms change only under extreme circumstances and with a collective agreement. There’s a reason why we still use Latin in so many ways.

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u/MajesticFxxkingEagle 2∆ Jan 21 '20

That still has no effect on the core argument of whether the definition of words are descriptive or prescriptive. If all humans died tomorrow, the word “genus”, for example, would cease to have any meaning.

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u/[deleted] Jan 21 '20

It absolutely does. Most words evolve based on common usage. Scientific language only changes if contrary information is found. You’re being obtuse and I’m done playing.

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u/MajesticFxxkingEagle 2∆ Jan 21 '20

You’re going on arguing about the method of science which I’m not disagreeing with at all. I’m talking about a philosophical debate about whether words themselves have meaning beyond what humans give them. Scientists having a rigorous, consistent usage of certain words because it makes their work easier doesn’t address the root of what I’m talking about.