{"id":5785,"date":"2017-02-12T10:07:56","date_gmt":"2017-02-12T10:07:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/2017\/02\/12\/understand-is-a-verb-of-success\/"},"modified":"2017-02-12T10:07:56","modified_gmt":"2017-02-12T10:07:56","slug":"understand-is-a-verb-of-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/2017\/02\/12\/understand-is-a-verb-of-success\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Understand’ is a Verb of Success"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here<\/a> I encountered the following sentence:<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

However, most people understand their side is good and the opposing side is bad, so it\u2019s much easier for them to form these emotional opinions of political parties.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This sentence features a misuse of 'understand.'  'Understand' is a verb of success.  If you understand something, then it is the case.  For example, if you understand that both 2 and -2 are square roots of 4, then this is the case.  Otherwise there is a failure to understand.  'Understand' in this respect is like 'know' and unlike 'believe' or 'think'.  My knowing that p<\/em> entails that p<\/em> is true.  My believing or thinking that p<\/em> does not entail that p<\/em> is true.  My understanding that my side is good entails that it is.  The above sentence should read as follows:<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

However, most people THINK their side is good and the opposing side is bad, so it\u2019s much easier for them to form these emotional opinions of political parties.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

A second example<\/a>:<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Not necessarily, says Taubes, who suggests that the ad hoc societal test of the low-carb solution lacks certainty. \u201cIf you understand beyond a shadow of a doubt that your disease is caused by sugar and flour and refined carbohydrates,\u201d he says, \u201cyou are more likely to adhere to a diet that cuts them out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Some will say that usage changes, to which I will reply: no doubt, but not all change is change for the better.<\/span><\/p>\n

Call me a prescriptivist if you like, but don't confuse me with a school-marm prescriptivist. If you end a sentence with a preposition, I won't draw my weapon. For that is a piece of pedantry up with which I shall not put!<\/span><\/p>\n

\nRelated articles<\/legend>\n
\n
<\/a>Why Write?<\/a><\/div>\n
<\/a>The Left's Biggest Lie?<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/fieldset>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here I encountered the following sentence: However, most people understand their side is good and the opposing side is bad, so it\u2019s much easier for them to form these emotional opinions of political parties. This sentence features a misuse of 'understand.'  'Understand' is a verb of success.  If you understand something, then it is the … Continue reading “‘Understand’ is a Verb of Success”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[180,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5785","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-decline-of-the-west","category-language-matters"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5785","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=5785"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5785\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5785"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5785"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5785"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}