But which is the State's essential function, aggression or defence, few seem to know or care.
Benjamin TuckerRead
The makers of dictionaries are dependent upon specialists for their definitions. A specialist's definition may be true or it may be erroneous. But its truth cannot be increased or its error diminished by its acceptance by the lexicographer. Each definition must stand on its own merits.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the importance of relying on expert definitions while emphasizing the objective truth of those definitions regardless of their acceptance.
Benjamin Tucker's quote reflects on the role of dictionary makers who depend on specialists to provide accurate definitions for words. It suggests that a definition's validity is not influenced by its acceptance; instead, it should be judged by its own intrinsic merit. This underscores the significance of objective truth in language and the inherent responsibility of specialists to ensure the accuracy of their definitions.
Themes
DefinitionsLanguageTruthSpecialistsDictionaries
In practice
Example use cases
A teacher referencing this quote to explain the importance of accurate language in education.
More from Benjamin Tucker
All quotes →The main question ... is not what motive inspired the law, but what it will be possible for men of bad motive to do with the law.
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There is no freedom that I would grant to any man that I would refuse to woman, and there is no freedom that I would refuse to either man or woman except the freedom to invade ... whoever has the ballot has the freedom to invade, and whoever wants the ballot wants the freedom to invade. Give woman equality with man, by all means; but do it by taking power from man, not giving it to woman.
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Government is the assumption of authority over a given area and all within it, exercised generally for the double purpose of more complete oppression of its subjects and extension of its boundaries.
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Voting is merely a labor-saving device for ascertaining on which side force lies and bowing to the inevitable... It is neither more nor less than a paper representative of the bayonet, the bully, and the bullet.
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To force a man to pay for the violation of his own liberty is indeed an addition of insult to injury.
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