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Chiefly in:   reductio and absurdum , per aspera and astra , and libitum , and infinitum , and hominem , and hoc , and nauseam

Classification: English – cross-language

Spotted in the wild:

  • My theory was dismissed right out there by ‘reductio and absurdum’. (link)
  • Proudhon had only to skim through a Ricardian treatise to understand just enough of it to be able to show that political economy was a reductio and absurdum of private property instead of a justification of it. (G B Shaw, Fabian Essays in Socialism, Humboldt, New York, 1891)
  • If you haven’t noticed before, the trumpet theme in Mahler’s Fifth is similar to Beethoven’s motto in his Fifth. Bernd Buechtner says, “In this sense Mahler’s Fifth is also a dialogue with Beethoven’s Fifth, and Mahler’s symphony is likewise organized ‘per aspera and astra’–through night into day.” (gramophone.co.uk forum, Feb 4, 2005)
  • All elephants have access to clean, fresh timothy and libitum, or free choice, throughout the day and are fed enough hay to last them through the night. (Columbus Zoo)
  • Flexible and-hoc analysis with unique drill down and drill across capability allows companies to dive down into individual metrics, transactions and discreet elements; (link)
  • In addition, unless you ask us not to, we may use the information to:
    update you about the organisation and its programmes and services, such as annual subscription material, or details of and hoc events, and to inform you about products, services and events by other organisations in which you may be interested. (Australian Ballet)
  • but then what was that thing? and what caused it? and what was the thing that caused the thing that caused the thing that caused the world? and so on and infinitum, leaving us with what might well seem like a bunch quaint or even pathetic and desperate attempts to make sense of a world that resists making sense. (link)
  • You may not like to hear the story of Yajnavalka here, but it fits in nicely according to the form of logical argument called “argumentum and hominem” - that means argumenting from basic propositions or premises supplied by the opponent - things like that. (link)
  • In their posts and and-hominem attacks in the comments sections on some liberal blogs they showed us just how philistine, viscious and mean-spirited some of these guys really are. (link)
  • The “Media” spends time and nauseam on murder cases and alike, burning up billions of kilowatts of electrical power in their transmitters without any sane reason. (link)
  • We heard arguments and nauseam about accessibility, variable fees, and the like; but nothing about upholding a principle, and maintaining trust with the people. (link)

Analyzed or reported by:

  • commenter Simon (on this site, suggested "reductio and absurdum")

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| link | entered by Ben Zimmer, 2005/09/12 |

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