Do you mean a family that works hard and does not depend on benefits from the government, or a family that works hard but needs support from the government at the same time? Is the definition related to the number of children in the family? We are not living in China But that discussion calls for a separate column. Narayanaswami is a former professor of English, and has written several books and articles on the usage of the language. He looks at the peculiarities of business and popular English usage in his fortnightly column.
Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! It'll just take a moment. Looks like you have exceeded the limit to bookmark the image. Remove some to bookmark this image. You are now subscribed to our newsletters. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters. Examples "Have you stopped beating your spouse", "When will you pay the taxes you owe? Examples: "More research is needed Example: '"War is hell but appeasement leads to worse disasters".
It transfers blame to one person or group of people without investigating the complexities of the issue. Examples: "George W. Bush got us into Iraq", "President Reagan caused the national debt". In fact the causes of most phenomena are complex, and it is misleading to say just one of the following: "Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria", "Tuberculosis is caused by un-regulated capitalism that creates poor working conditions", "Tuberculosis is caused by a lack of effective antibiotics".
Examples: "A study was done that showed eating peanut butter causes liver cancer" the fact that later the study was later shown to be flawed or funded by the peanut butter haters and therefore suspect, is not revealed. A variation would be "Raising the speed limit to 65 mph resulted in many fewer traffic fatalities". Such statements need to be checked with how many people were driving before and after the change in speed limit.
Fewer people may be driving after the speed limit change, even though the fatality rates deaths per , may be higher, leading to the overall result of fewer fatalities. For example: Ducks and geese migrate south for the winter, therefore all waterfowl migrate south for the winter.
Or, most rich folks vote republican, therefore most people who vote republican are rich. Example: "The economy is following the same path as right before the great depression, therefore we will experience a stock market crash soon!
When coming across with glittering generalities, we should especially consider the merits of the idea itself when separated from specific words. The exact meanings of these glittering terms are impossible to define, hence vague generalities. It all depends on who the 'people' who rule actually are. Furthermore, one person's idea of freedom could very well be another's idea of slavery.
Glittering generalities sound sincere but they really mean nothing. As such they are a logical fallacy.
0コメント