What Is The Advantage of Being So Vague In The Use of Words?

What is the Advantage of Using Words Loosely?

Assume that the words we use do not have neat and careful definitions sitting somewhere inside our skull.

Assume that the way words work is that they are associated with other stuff in the brain.

When you see, hear or think the word "cat", you automatically activate memories, images, sounds, feelings and thoughts.

All this works very quickly so that I can say lots of words fast and all the follow-on activations are all happening very quickly.

And, in addition, you put together the meanings of the individual words to get some gist of what it is I might be trying to say.

My words might also make you think of something that I did not think of.

Assume this way of working with associations, is the cause of so many of our problems.

The sentence I say, doesn't resonate in your mind in the same way as it did in mine.

Because we are different.

Because all our memories are so different.

Because our logical structures work in different ways.

So when we draw different conclusions, we could end up arguing simply because the same words don't mean the same things.

Next, we start making arguments to justify our position and we start tripping up over the fact that in the course of the sentences we say we often use different meanings for the same words.

All because our words are not definitions but associations.

Is there any advantage to this?

Are we actually better off because we work this way?

There are probably many advantages, but here is one:

Every single scene or context we have ever been in is different from every other scene.

The differences might be small or the two scenes are very different except that there is an underlying similar theme.

To apply what we learned about one context, that is now a memory, to the current context, we have to see the similar and move aside the differences.

Words let us do this.

If I summarize the first scene in words, and if the words are loose enough,I can choose to summarize the current scene in the same words - or close enough.

Now I can propose applying the lessons from last time.

And compare the results.

So perhaps that is why we build thinking using these words that are so vague and flexible.

Did what I just say resonate with you?

Can you do something with this idea?

Can it help you in any way?

I sure hope so.

Thank you so much for your time.