A Lexicon of
Neologisms. Mikhail Epstein (Emory University)
Philosophy
bject
n (common
part of subject and object, from Lat sub, under, and ob, against + Lat icere, combining form of jacere, to throw) - one that is both a subject and object,
in an undetermined position, or superposition, of being the acting and acted
upon.
When
we say that "the sea is seething" or "the wind becomes
stronger," we refer to bjects that
escape the division into subjects
or objects of action (such as "to seethe" or "to become
stronger"). A
"bject" is a more fundamental category than "subject" or
"object."
* * *
nove n (from Lat novus, new;
pronounced (nouv), like in cove) - a unit of newness or novelty,
something new, unexpected, unusual, challenging all expectations.
A
bit is a unit of information obtained by learning which of two equally likely
events occurred. A nove is a
unit of creativity obtained by finding which of many equally improbable ideas
is most provable and palpable.
How
many noves have you
identified in this proposal?
* * *
reity
n (Lat res, matter or thing) – all that is real in opposition to the
virtual.
Reity is a more narrow realm than the one called
"reality." Virtual
worlds are parts of reality, which embraces emotions, numbers, computer games,
abstract concepts etc. Reity
is what we find around us when we turn off our computers: the aroma of coffee, the sound of a
living voice, a view from the window…
The
switch to reity
from a video or a computer is a gratifying experience. You sense afresh the charm of things as
they smell and taste and touch you.
* * *
scientify v trans (science + suffix -ify, from Lat -ficare and -facere, to make or do) - to make smth more scientific, to subject to scientific views, rules and concepts.
He
has tried hard to scientify
his paper, but it still remains a provocative essay rather than a consistent
argument.
She
has attempted to scientify
her diet and as a result lost her appetite.
* * *
sophiophilia (Gr sophia, wisdom +
philia, love; cf. philosophy)
– love for wisdom that
cannot be reduced to any academic discipline or discourse, like
philosophy.
In
the last two millenia philosophy has differently posited itself as a rational
theology, as a universal science, as ideology, as a method for analyzing language, but seldom as sophiophilia, love for wisdom in its proper sense.
sophiophil
– a person who loves wisdom in a non-philosophical way.
Philosophy
has strayed so far from wisdom, that love for wisdom needs a different
name. Somebody may be a sophiophil without taking any interest in philosophy as it
is understood and practiced in
today's academia.
*
* *
theorify
v trans ( theory + suffix
ify) – to make something
an object of theory, to submit something non-theoretical to theoretical
approach
Theorize
means to apply theory to smth, to think theoretically.
Theorify
means to give smth the quality of
a theoretical object.
Before
we start theorising on X, we have to decide if we can legitimately theorify this X.
For example, can we theorify
ethics? Emotions? Personal acts? Personalities?
* * *
white
holes - blank spaces in culture, in distinction
from black holes in the cosmos;
those gaps among signs and symbols that manifest a need for new words and
concepts.
White
holes, as defined in
contemporary physics, throw out
matter and energy. Just as black holes swallow things irretrievably, so also do
white holes spit them out.
From the viewpoint of physics, white holes cannot exist, since they violate the
second law of thermodynamics. However white holes do exist in culture, in the noosphere and
semiosphere, where the physical laws of thermodynamics, the irreversibility of
time and increasing entropy are not
effective. One of the goals of the humanities is to extract energy from
these semantic voids and to fill them with new signs and ideas.
PreDictionary. A Lexicon of Neologisms