Etymology is not destiny. Otherwise, naughty children would be full of nothing, and (Borges’ example) sarcophagi would be the opposite of vegetarians. So, Moldy’s argument would be bad even if it were founded on linguistic facts, which it isn’t.
Unrelated slightly amusing fact, sarcophagos is still the word for carnivorous in Greek, the amusing part being that the word for vegetarian is chortophagos and how weirdly close it is to being a slur since it literally means grass eater.
Exactly. It’s one thing to claim “nice comes from Latin nescius meaning ignorant therefore nice means stupid” and another to say “octopus and helicopter mean the same thing because helicopter comes from helico- meaning helical or spiral and pter meaning wing.”
Etymology is not destiny. Otherwise, naughty children would be full of nothing, and (Borges’ example) sarcophagi would be the opposite of vegetarians. So, Moldy’s argument would be bad even if it were founded on linguistic facts, which it isn’t.
Unrelated slightly amusing fact, sarcophagos is still the word for carnivorous in Greek, the amusing part being that the word for vegetarian is chortophagos and how weirdly close it is to being a slur since it literally means grass eater.
I am easily amused.
Exactly. It’s one thing to claim “nice comes from Latin nescius meaning ignorant therefore nice means stupid” and another to say “octopus and helicopter mean the same thing because helicopter comes from helico- meaning helical or spiral and pter meaning wing.”
Hehe, Nescius Moldbug.