Hurting another person is a very easy thing to do. We often think of “hurt” in terms of the pain induced by bodily injury. This obviously is an important kind of hurt, but we should be careful to construe it rightly. The harm is done to the body, but the hurt is a matter of […]
There is something to be learned by reflecting on the simple expression “not here.” Notice how the words in “not here” function. The first word, “not,” needs the second word in order to be meaningful. The second word did not have to be “here,” but it had to be something, because the “not” is always […]
We are constantly describing. “I’m nervous about the interview” or “He’s such a funny guy” or “You have to pick that up.” Our days are filled up with talking, or listening to others talk or reading what others have written, and all of these activities of language are basically matters of description. In many situations, […]