[lbo-talk] More on the Words "stalinism" and "stalinist"

[c b]

I object to the words as a retired teacher of English as well as a
political activist. Use of them is, besides its intellectual falsity,
plain sloppy diction.
The problem is this, "stalinism" has infinite intension and zero
extension. That is, it means everything and nothing, but it names only
nothing.

Put another way, it has negative cognitive content. Just as those who
watch TV news have less knowledge than those who read and watch _no_
news, so the user (and the accepting reader) of the word "stalinism"
have reduced total human knowledge. They themselves have less
knowledge than they had prior to the use; similarly the reader who
accepts the word as meaningful as reduced his/her knowledge.

Carrol

^^^^
CB: Also, it is a main historical form of redbaiting, anti-Communism,
anti-Marxism and anti-Sovietism ( I know many people don't think
anti-Sovietism is a political fault, but it is).  It is also main form
of _ad hominem_ error and reckless namecalling and insult in
intra-left arguments