Comments on: Whining on the left, whining on the right

By: Clarice

Clarice — Fri, 12 May 2006 09:02:43 +0000

I don’t believe that Latin is very highly prized, otherwise more people would still be taught it. Then again, maybe it’s *because* so few modern people have studied it that it is prized. Personally, I take the former position. Not only do plenty of people not know what homo sapiens means, but most of them don’t particularly care either. Same goes for homo sexual and paediatrician, it would seem…

I hope PG isn’t dead.

By: Granny Rose

Granny Rose — Thu, 11 May 2006 22:50:30 +0000

How refreshing to hear/read someone say quite frankly I did not know that.

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 09 May 2006 13:22:25 +0000

I wonder why Latin is still so highly prized? Most educated people don’t know their ars poetica from their elbow.

By: Clarice

Clarice — Mon, 08 May 2006 19:02:51 +0000

Actually, now that I think about it, it should be homo sapientior, using the comparative, not the adverb (doh!)

By: Robert

Robert — Mon, 08 May 2006 18:22:18 +0000

I have not studied latin, and therefore did not know that. The Pedant General is clearly sleeping on the job, by the way. This post is now three days old, and not a peep.

By: Clarice

Clarice — Mon, 08 May 2006 17:18:10 +0000

Just got to point out, “homo sapiens” is not a plural. I’m sure you know that Sapiens, meaning wise, is the nominative singular form of the adjective, agreeing with the nominative form of the noun (homo) meaning man. What we should strive to evolve into therefore is not homo sapien, but homo sapienter (wiser).
V.interesting and inspiring post though.

By: mutterings » lord of war

mutterings » lord of war — Mon, 08 May 2006 16:20:20 +0000

[...] There’s a good dingdong, tenuously related to all this, going on here here and here – regarding – People’s love of guilt, hand wringing and inaction. [...]

By: Robert

Robert — Mon, 08 May 2006 16:12:04 +0000

Can there be such a thing as a noble shame? Isn’t it a contradiction in terms?

Quite possibly. “Noble misery” may be better, but “shame” read better, I thought.

By: Clarice

Clarice — Mon, 08 May 2006 16:06:02 +0000

Can there be such a thing as a noble shame? Isn’t it a contradiction in terms?

By: qwan

qwan — Mon, 08 May 2006 11:37:55 +0000

It’s a great point, Robert. Surely right wingers most oily trait. Their coercion of everyone else to open up their services/markets/resources to ‘competition’ a.k.a ‘exploitation’, whilst digging a moat round their own pathetic little pile.