Definitions
Nonetheless, definitions will not solve all problems, and a mindless insis- tence on definitions can turn a serious discussion into a semantic quibble. If you insist on defining every term, you will never be satisfied, because every definition will introduce new terms to be defined. Furthermore, definitions themselves can be confusing or obfuscating as, for example, when an econo- mist tells us:
I define “inflation” as too much money chasing too few goods.
Not only is this definition metaphorical and obscure, it also has a theory of the causes of inflation built into it.
To use definitions correctly, we must realize that they come in various forms and serve various purposes. There are at least five kinds of definitions that need to be distinguished:
1. Lexical or dictionary definitions are the most common kind of definition. We consult a dictionary when we are ignorant about the meaning of a word in a particular language. If you do not happen to know what the words “jejune,” “ketone,” or “Kreis” mean, then you can look these words up in an English, a scientific, and a German dictionary, respectively.
Except for an occasional diagram, dictionaries explain the meaning of a word by using other words that the reader presumably already under- stands. These explanations often run in a circle, such as when the Oxford American Dictionary defines “car” as “automobile” and “automobile” as “car.” Circular definitions can still be useful, because if you know what one
assertion, however, is not an argument. . . . “Unnaturalness” and “wrongful- ness” are not synonyms, then, but different concepts.
