Open AccessUwagi o manipulowaniu znaczeniami słów
Author(s) -
Beata PolanowskaSygulska
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
argument
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2084-1043
pISSN - 2083-6635
DOI - 10.24917/20841043.9.1.6
Subject(s) - misrepresentation , meaning (existential) , objectivism , communism , sociology , politics , context (archaeology) , order (exchange) , epistemology , psychoanalysis , psychology , philosophy , law , political science , history , archaeology , finance , economics
On manipulating the meaning of words: the strategy of distorting the meaning of concepts
in order to redirect people’s attitudes has been put in practice by ideologists and politicians
for years. the paper focuses on the refections of selected thinkers and men of letters on this
phenomenon. intellectual contributions of isaiah Berlin, Friedrich a. Hayek, leszek Kołakowski and charles l. stevenson on the one hand, and the considerations of george orwell,
aldous Huxley, ayn Rand, sławomir mrożek and małgorzata musierowicz on the other hand
are analysed. some recent incarnations of the tactics of perverting the meaning of words in
recent political discourse in poland are critically examined. special attention is given to the
manipulating the meaning of “paedophilia” in the context of the nationwide discussion on
child sexual abuse in the catholic church. it is concluded that the dishonourable practice of
verbal misrepresentation used under communism is at work again, this time in even more
sophisticated form.