Cognitive dissonance

[bennyboy]

Cognitive (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cognitive) + dissonance (opposite of harmony). Most religious people can't even correctly define "atheism", and this isn't necessarily psychological. They come here just to argue their alleged superiority relative to the atheist condition, and that is their cognitive dissonance with our cognition, when that phrase is properly defined according to its linguistic roots. Leon Whoever may be considered right by psychologists, but it's a valid argument that maybe you should not twist the definitions of existing linguistics when you seek a term for a new concept to discuss.

The joy of being the first to combine words in a particular way is that you get to tell people what you mean by combining them in that way.  You wouldn't argue that a "heart attack" is when a human organ mugs someone in a back alley, because you know what "heart attack" means.  Nor would you claim that an "expiry date" is a social engagement that you have when something expires, because you know what an "expiry date" is.

If someone who didn't know what those combinations of words meant argued that their meaning was fine, and you were just being a snob in attempting to make them mean what you want them to, that you were "twisting the definitions of existing linguistics" what would you say?  You'd likely say something like, "Shut up.  You didn't know the words.  You've been told what they mean.  Now, let it go."

So shut up.  You didn't know the words.  You've been told what they mean.  Now, let it go.