"entomology" = etymology or linguistics; "heresay"

Alice Faber faber at HASKINS.YALE.EDU
Sun Apr 8 00:03:40 UTC 2007


Scarabs, baby, scarabs. Well, they're Egyptian, but, well, close enough...

Scot LaFaive wrote:
> I always suspected there was something missing from my linguistic studies,
> and now I know what it was: ancient Babylonian beetles.
> Seriously, though, I wonder whether it was him or someone before
> publishing.
>
> Scot LaFaive
>
>
>
>> From: Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM>
>> Reply-To: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>> Subject: "entomology" = etymology or linguistics; "heresay"
>> Date: Sat, 7 Apr 2007 16:48:56 -0700
>>
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> -----------------------
>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM>
>> Subject:      "entomology" = etymology or linguistics; "heresay"
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>
>> Both of these are common among the teeming masses, but here they are
>> in the
>> work of a prof:
>>
>>   1999 Tom Morris _Philosophy for Dummies_ (Foster City, Calif.:  IDG
>> Books) 28: Why should a pre-med or business major waste any time at
>> all in
>> a philosophy classroom? Wasn't this rule much like requiring every
>> student
>> to take a course in Ancient Babylonian entomology? Wasn't it just some
>> relic of the esoteric humanities curriculum of the past, no longer
>> relevant
>> to modern life?
>>
>>   _Ibid._ 51: Heresay is not enough, faith is not to be trusted, and
>> intuition is not admissable at all. Hard evidence or nothing is the
>> demand.
>>
>>   Dr. Morris, a Yale graduate, was Professor of Philosophy at the
>> University of Notre Dame for 15 years.
>>
>>   JL
>>
>>
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--
 =============================================================================
Alice Faber
faber at haskins.yale.edu
Haskins Laboratories                                  tel: (203)
865-6163 x258
New Haven, CT 06511 USA                                     fax (203)
865-8963

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