Arguments of definition are present in every day life.
Whether we realize it or not, we are using this device on a daily basis. The
whole idea is a controversial understanding of a definition. For example, if a
sign, or law, or anything of the matter states something, but you believe it
means something else. Let’s say a statue has a sign that says, “No Climbing” on
it. You might decide that is it perfectly acceptable to sit on it though
because you interpreted the sign literally and are not climbing on it. That is
an argument of definition.
In today’s
society, we are always looking for loopholes to break or bend the law. You can
buy fake ID’s online because they are supposed to be used for “novelty
purposes” only. You can even buy illegal substances and drugs online because
they are claimed to be only for “research purposes.” Why do signs on the
freeway say, “All Trucks Move To Right Lanes”, when really they just mean
commercial trucks? Why do people get upset when you drive the speed limit?
People interpret everything so differently; even the simplest signs could have
10 different interpretations.
When you
look closer into “Definitions by Example”, you see that many things we hear
also end up being arguments of definition. Whether it is “The best basketball
player in the league”, “The best food for you to eat”, or “The hardest test you
will take”, these statements are all representative of the speaker’s beliefs.
Your hardest test could have been my easiest. Your favorite basketball player
could be the archrival that I hate. While these examples aren’t very controversial,
some interpretations can cause major issues. For example, the definition of self-defense,
parking regulations, the right to bare arms, and many others cause some major
issues.
If a drug
dealer has machine guns and grenades all over his house, technically he does
have the right to bear arms, but he also must register the guns and weapons. If
they aren’t approved he is still not allowed to be in possession of them. He
could argue all day that it is in the Bill of Rights and he will continue to
possess whatever guns he wants. You can see how this can become a major issue.
Not too
long ago I was parking my car at an apartment complex. There was a sign that
was knocked down and I couldn’t read, but when I returned to my car later that
day, I had a citation. The ticket said, “There were other postings around the
complex you could have read.” That was completely unfair in my opinion. Where I
parked, there was no sign that was readable, yet I still received a ticket. But
then again he could argue that I shouldn’t expect a sign at every single
parking spot.
Our laws
and legislature should be more clear and have less leeway for loopholes. It can
cause major issues and ultimately creates more problems than it solves.
I do believe in the fact that you utilize the argument definition everyday, sometimes more than once. When I think about this, I think about people getting MIP's. MIP's are given to children under age of drinking because the drinking age is 21, but it's 18 to handle alcohol by selling it or being able to serve it. If you're carrying alcohol, can't you just say your handling it because you're not drinking it? Back in October, I noticed cops dressed in street clothes trying to hand out beer to people walking out on apache. All in all this Argument Definition can be used in so many ways to just persuade about a small subject. The ID's are definitely a good example of argument definitions. The website does say that they are novelty ids. The warning says that they do not take any blame for using it for buying alcohol. They used an argument definition to explain that they are selling the cards just to have but not be used.
ReplyDeleteDefinitions of argument are actually very much present in our everyday lives. It seems like we can all agree with that. All of the examples you posed in your post are all pretty accurate. For example, I actually try to drive my car at the speed limit sometimes and then my friends argue that I can at least go several miles over. I know this obviously, but it's interesting to think about how people have developed this definition of speed limit where going over the "limit" is no problem. It's almost natural to drive over the "limit." I also agree that these definitions can cause some pretty big problems such as the one you stated in your post about a man exhibiting his 2nd amendment right. Some of these definitions leave to big of a void to be filled. This void can result in authorities being at odds with the man with a house full of grenades and machine guns. Your parking situation was pretty unfortunate. Personally, I would probably feel the same way as you did; that it is unfair to expect other signs to guide me in that situation. He should have let you off with a warning that time, but I guess that's not enough. This was a good example in how his interpretation of the situation differed with yours. He expected you to be more aware of your surroundings, while you couldn't even find any other signs. This really emphasizes the importance of definitions in everyday life as well as in arguments.
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