Viewing entries tagged with 'confused expressions'
Confused Expressions #13: Knowledge is Power
The expression "knowledge is power" isn't confused in and of itself; I agree that knowledge can be powerful. The confusion arises because, in most instances, the speaker seems to think that's the end of the story, as if the single-minded acquisition of knowledge or power is all that matters, as if that acquisition of knowledge or power makes one more powerful. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Without the wisdom to use it appropriately—how to use it and when to use it and why—having lots of power can be much worse than having no power at all, because it may be the power to blow yourself up, or (even worse) the power to blow up your friends, your neighbourhood, or your planet.
No one thinks a little boy with a big shotgun is powerful, for instance; everyone thinks he's a danger, and as much to himself as to anyone else. But the same shotgun in the hands of a hunter is a powerful tool, because presumably the hunter has the wisdom to use it well.
By itself, knowledge is interesting at best and dangerous at worst. Knowledge is power in any good or useful sense of the term only when it's governed by wisdom.
Confused Expressions #13: Proof Versus Evidence
I'd be hard-pressed to find an expression more commonly misused by otherwise careful writers and speakers than the expressions I'm sometimes faced with when an agnostic or atheist friend discovers that I'm Christian. "But how can you believe in Christianity when there isn't any proof for it?" they'll say or write. Or, "Well, I believe in science, because it has a lot of proof going for it."
Confused Expressions #12: It's Natural
Some people seem satisfied to justify any action by the claim that "it's natural." Whether it's giving in to every sexual urge or ingesting various products and plants, somehow the claim that "it's natural" (which, I guess, means "it occurs in the natural world") seems to be enough reason to carry on without concern. But just because something is natural doesn't make it safe, or healthy, or wise. There's nothing more natural (in the sense of "it occurs in nature") than having your head bitten off by a lion in the jungle, yet few would claim that jungles are perfectly safe, or that being lion-food is in the natural order of things and shouldn't be resisted.
Confused Expressions #11: To Split the Infinitive, Boldly
You've likely heard the rule that in English, the infinitive should never be "split"; in this view, the infinitive form of a verb ("to" + verb, such as "to blog") is a union as sacred as Holy Matrimony and introducing a third word in between the particle and the verb is akin to committing adultery.
Confused Expressions #10: Money is the Root of All Evil
There's nothing inherently confused about the expression "money is the root of all evil." I don't happen to agree with it, but that's a philosophical point that can be debated. The confusion comes in since most people who use the expression think they're quoting the Bible (and often are trying to defend money against the charge). Those people are confused because the Bible never claims that money is the root of all evil, although something like those words does occur in something like that sequence. While giving his disciple Timothy advice on "fighting the good fight," St. Paul writes:
Confused Expressions #9: My Body is My Temple
When I was younger, a friend said to me—if memory serves, in response to my resolute disinclination to smoke cigarettes with him—"Your body is your temple, isn't it?"
Confused Expressions #8: The Wheel that Squeaks ... and Squeaks ... and Squeaks
For reasons personal and interesting only to myself, I've been thinking about people who complain regularly (often with the preamble that they aren't the type of person who likes to complain), and the very old expression about which wheel gets greased. There is truth to the phrase, of course (otherwise, it likely wouldn't have survived as long as it has) but it's only half-true. I prefer my own version of that expression: "The squeaky wheel gets the grease, but the wheel that squeaks and squeaks and squeaks gets the grease—then gets its whiny butt replaced at the earliest opportunity."
Confused Expressions #7: This Doesn't Beg the Question
Very few things throw me more in a conversation than when someone says, "And of course that begs the question ..."
Confused Expressions #6: Could You Care Less?
"I couldn't care less" makes a lot more sense than "I could care less" when someone wants to indicate that the subject at hand holds zero, zilch, nada interest for them, but it's the latter expression that seems more popular.
Confused Expressions #5: Thank Goodness
Of all the expressions I don't understand, "thank goodness" is my favorite.