From: Dwight Brown
Date: Mar 6, 2006 2:12 PM
Subject: Paradigm Shifting

I would like to thank you for my wonderful new "Beg the question" t-shirt. I am glad that someone else is annoyed by the misuse of this term.

I am fascinated how the human mind is able to incorporate phrases into our everyday use without our conscious awareness of it happening. Sometimes I think that people just want to sound intelligent, but other times I realize that people don't even know that they are using a new phrase or word. For example the term "That being said" is spreading like a virus through my workplace and most of the culprits don't realize they are doing it. In most cases I find the misuse, overuse, or so-called evolution of a word or phrase to be nothing more than part of life. For example the word "decimate" actually meant to destroy 10% of something, and now has been completely altered to just mean destroy. Also, the local news use treacherous instead of of dangerous during just about every storm!!! Unfortunately as a fan of philosophy I have to draw the line when people begin destroying technical terms that actually have value.

That being said, it goes without saying, but I digress (etc)  I would love it if you would make a T-shirt that informed people that a "paradigm shift" is a technical term created by Thomas Kuhn "to describe the process and result of a change in basic assumptions within the ruling theory of science " (wikipedia). The term has now been butchered into describing the simplest and most insignificant changes in mind or opinion. "There was a paradigm shift at work, so we began using non-dairy creamer instead of milk". While I'm venting can I also suggest an attack on the incorrect use of "myself". People seem to think that it sounds educated to throw "myself" in place of me or I. I had the great misfortune of attending a meeting where the speaker said, "Jim and I approached the problem" and then he apologized as if he had made an error and said "Jim and myself approached the problem"!!!! I was chuckling all day about that.

Thanks for the shirt, I really hope to see a 'paradigm shift' or 'slippery slope' shirt soon,

Dwight Brown