This workshop used linguistic tools. The first one was that basic but very useful tools, dictionaries. I use both the Oxford English Dictionary and Merriam-Webster. They both carry out extensive research in usage in a wide range of communities.
One problem, mentioned in the workshop, is that where normal usage is confused, this is reflected in the dictionary. The solution I adopted is to try to untangle the confusion and then adopt my own definition for the purposes of this workbook while staying as close as possible to the dictionary but retaining clarity.
I have confidence in the approach, it is commonly used by scientists, for example in the use of “energy” to mean something like capacity to do work, but making both “energy” and “work” precise enough to do build theories that can be used for detailed understanding and accurate predictions.
It will take a few more workshops to see if the definitions I have introduced are indeed useful in a field where far less precision is possible or useful than in physics.
| Previous: Workshop: Countries, clarifying the concepts | Next: Countries in Context | Return to Table of Contents |