I did not know there are so many different types of
definitions. I knew there was a dictionary definition and a personal
definition, but stipulative, lexical, precising, theoretical, operational, and
persuasive definitions. The first type of definition is a stipulative
definition. This type is “given to a new term of new combination of old terms”.
An example of this is the word laptop, there was not a definition for this word
before computers were made but now we have computers and laptops. A lexical
definition is, “the commonly used dictionary definition”. For example, the
definition of house is a building for human habitation. Precising definitions
are used to reduce vagueness that goes beyond the lexical definition. When the
phrase ‘term paper’ is used a teacher must include a precising definition to
explain what they want for that paper.
Within a précising definition there are two categories, theoretical and
operations. A theoretical definition is a definition that explains a term’s
nature; while an operational is a standard measure for a use in data collection
and interpretation. The last type of definition is a persuasive definition.
This is explained as, a definition used as a means to influence others to
accept our view. For example, theft is given a negative definition as it is
looked down upon.
When I read the section about definition I was also surprised on how many different types of definition exist. I prefer precising definitions because I like things explained fully and in a very specific manner. I don’t really mind in which category a precision definitions is made. Whether theoretical or operational, they both make definitions a lot easier to understand. Persuasive definitions were not particularly my favorite type of definitions after I learned what they were this week. I realized that persuasion can be everywhere, including in a definition like the example you gave. Although it makes sense to think of theft as negative, I wouldn’t want a future child of mine to be narrow minded and classify a person who stole an apple because they were starving to death as a horrible person.
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