RDP Tuesday: conflate

Very happy Tuesday and the word today is conflate.

Wikipedia gives a very timely example: “In an alternate illustrative example, respect is used both in the sense of “recognise a right” and “have high regard for”. We can respect someone’s right to the opinion the United Nations is secretly controlled by alien lizards on the moon, without holding this idea in high regard. But conflation of these two different concepts leads to the notion that all ideological ideas should be treated with respect, rather than just the right to hold these ideas. Conflation in logical terms is very similar to, if not identical to, equivocation.”

What ideas have you seen conflated or do you conflate or wish other people would not conflate? Write a story, take a photograph, post an epic poem, a limerick, make a collage, knit the answer and show us. Then link back and enjoy reading everyone else’s brilliant posts.

Here is an example of conflation: that anyone who is healthy is happy. This is from Macfadden’s Encyclopedia of Physical Culture, volume I, from 1911. This is “A work of Refernce, providing complete instructions for the cure of all diseases though physcultopathy, with general information on natural methods of health-building and a description of the anatomy and physiology of the human body.” I had to look up physcultopathy, which Mr. Macfadden coined. Maybe that will be next week’s word.

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

Advertisement