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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: The Philosopher who wrote (79379)	12/2/2003 9:14:33 AM
From: Rambi	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 82486

I thought the word referred to his writings in The Prince, and that this was about political manipulation? Doesn't it refer more to the techniques he provocatively descibed than to a person? And no, I have never read him. In the same way, wasn't the Ugly American (which I did read in high school and so have little real memory of it) a metaphor not for the good engineer who was sent to the little country, but for American foreign policy? It makes sense to me that we would adopt terms that capture the tenor of a book or idea or action in a general way. Like the term "Borked" seems to be acquiring some general acceptance- but he isn't the one Borking. When words evolve from their origins and acquired slightly new meanings and twists, they are no less legitimate in their modern usage. It would be nice if everyone using "hubris" or "Oedipus Complex" understood the full Greek origins, but most people have only a vague reference point in their head about the etymology- as I only have about Machiavelli. Still, the words and ideas live on, which is what we care about, yes?