We laughed at his disclaimer, but Bill Clinton had a point. A naked word is clueless. The first rule in logic is: Clarify your terms!
But what is a term? A word set in a context. So, in one sense, Bill pointed out the obvious – ‘IS’ as a word takes on significance only in a context.
Take, for example, the unaccompanied word, ‘set’. How can ‘set’ be employed?
- a lamp, set upon a hill
- a man, set out on a journey
- my cat, set upon lapping some milk
- a victim, set up by a Ponzi scheme
- the book, set down on a table
Words and terms matter, dear friend. May we take time to use particular care to avoid confusion and communicate with accuracy and clarity.
Surprised by Logic 
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