[lbo-talk] Jargon in Science

Shane Mage shmage at pipeline.com
Thu Mar 1 13:22:13 PST 2012


On Mar 1, 2012, at 3:30 PM, Alan Rudy wrote:
>>
>> what is id, ego, superego an example of? properly used technical
>> language or obfuscatory jargon.
>>
>
> All three were obfuscatory jargon, I should have been more clear.
> The Id =
> The It, The Ego = The I, Superego = The Super I ... the traditional
> translation only serves to get in the way of everyday English language
> readers... as it did me the first time.

"I" and "It" are, in the English language, pronouns and so cannot be preceded by the article "the." "Super I" does not exist in the English language, neither everyday nor on Sunday. In Freudian psychology "Ego," "Id," and "Superego" (and in the Jungian version, "Shadow") refer to distinct modes of functioning of the psyche and so serve the proper purpose of technical terms: to provide a simple reference to a complex concept. No obfuscatory jargon there! Technical terms become obfuscatory jargon only in the mouths of those who have no understanding of their proper usage.

Shane Mage

"L'après-vie, c'est une auberge espagnole. L'on n'y trouve que ce qu'on a apporté."

Bardo Thodol



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