{"id":10050,"date":"2011-12-27T15:58:39","date_gmt":"2011-12-27T15:58:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/2011\/12\/27\/issues-and-problems\/"},"modified":"2011-12-27T15:58:39","modified_gmt":"2011-12-27T15:58:39","slug":"issues-and-problems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/2011\/12\/27\/issues-and-problems\/","title":{"rendered":"Issues and Problems"},"content":{"rendered":"

Perhaps you have noticed how, in American English at least, \u2018issue\u2019 has come to supplant \u2018problem.\u2019 For example, people will refer to medical problems<\/em> such as obesity and hypertension as medical issues<\/em>. Being a conservative, I don\u2019t confuse change with improvement. And being a linguistic<\/em> conservative, I am none too pleased with this recent development. So I would like to be able to say that a mistake is being made, or a distinction is being obliterated, by those who use \u2018issue\u2019 when, not long ago, one would have used \u2018problem.\u2019 I would like to say what I say to those who confuse \u2018infer\u2019 and \u2018imply,\u2019 namely, that there is an extralinguistic distinction that their linguistic confusion renders invisible. In the case of \u2018infer\u2019 and \u2018imply\u2019 it is the distinction between a subjective mental process and an objective relation between propositions.  In a slogan: People infer; propositions imply.  For details see On the Correct Usage of 'Infers and 'Implies<\/a>.'<\/span><\/p>\n

Trouble is, I am having a hard time finding any clearly formulable mistake of a logical or conceptual nature such as would justify my displeasure.  Here<\/a> we read that "A problem is something negative."  Sometimes.  A flat tire is a problem and something negative.  But chess problems – the  ones problemists compose, if not  over-the-board problems – are not something negative.  The same is true of many if not all logical, mathematical, and philosophical problems. <\/span><\/p>\n

The so-called 'problem of universals,' for example is not negative; it's just there.  Ditto for the problem whether existence is a property of individuals.  We could just as well describe it as an issue, a topic of debate.  So some problems are issues.  But other problems are not issues.  If you suffer from hypertension, then you have a medical problem, not a medical issue.  Nevertheless, there is the medical issue of how best to treat hypertension (with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors?  With beta-blockers?).  This medical issue can also be described as the problem of how best to treat hypertension.<\/span><\/p>\n

Perhaps we should say the following.  Every issue is a topic of controversy.  But it is not the case that every problem is a topic of controversy.  Some problems are topics and some are not.  Of those that are not, some are difficulties while others are tasks.<\/span><\/p>\n

 Let\u2019s consider some more examples.<\/span><\/p>\n

No one is about to start referring to chess problems and math problems as chess and math issues<\/em>. At least I hope not. These are problems, in particular, tasks.  For example,White to move and mate in three.  If you run out of gas in the middle of nowhere, then you\u2019ve got a problem in the form of a difficulty.   And if your wife is about to give birth when you run out of gas, then you really<\/em> have a problem in the form of a difficulty.   The use of \u2018issue\u2019 here offends my linguistic sensibilities, and rightly so if every issue is a topic of controversy.   If you are running out of gas and your wife is in labor, then those are facts, not topics of debate. More examples:<\/span><\/p>\n

There is an issue<\/em> with the starter solenoid.<\/span><\/p>\n

You got an issue<\/em> with that, buddy?<\/span><\/p>\n

There are serious issues<\/em> with the formatting of the March issue of Chess Life<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thank you Carmelita, for putting me on your blogroll. Carmelita: No issue<\/em>!<\/span><\/p>\n

I say that the above four examples are all egregious misuses of 'issue.'  For in none of these four cases is there any topic of controversy.  Each is a problem in the form of a difficulty. <\/span><\/p>\n

One issue<\/em> that arises for a married couple is whether or not to have children. It's an issue because it is a topic of debate. But if the man is impotent, then that is a problem<\/em>. It is even more of a problem if the two find each other physically repellent.  Neither of these is an issue because neither is a topic of controversy.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the sentence, \u2018He died without issue,\u2019 one cannot substitute \u2018problem\u2019 for \u2018issue\u2019 salva significatione<\/em>. But that is not the relevant use of \u2018issue.\u2019 We certainly don't want to make an issue, or a problem, out of that use of 'issue.'   Similarly with 'issue' in the sense of an issue of a magazine.<\/span><\/p>\n

I end with a question.  Why is \u2018issue\u2019 coming to supplant \u2018problem\u2019? Is it just because people are suggestible lemmings rather than the independent thinkers and speakers that they ought to be?  Is it because people are averse to facing problems and so use 'issue' as a euphemism?  <\/span><\/p>\n

We can speak correctly both of the issue and of the problem of why 'issue' is coming to supplant 'problem.'  <\/span><\/p>\n

I assume that the bird of Reality is jointed, and we need to cut it linguistically at the joints.  <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Perhaps you have noticed how, in American English at least, \u2018issue\u2019 has come to supplant \u2018problem.\u2019 For example, people will refer to medical problems such as obesity and hypertension as medical issues. Being a conservative, I don\u2019t confuse change with improvement. And being a linguistic conservative, I am none too pleased with this recent development. … Continue reading “Issues and Problems”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-language-matters"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10050","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10050"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10050\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10050"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10050"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10050"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}