An Introduction to Critical Thinking and Creativity - always yours

PRECISING DEFINITION 25
it is not entirely arbitrary because given the purpose of the definition, it would be
inappropriate to adopt a definition that classifies children as "old." As we can see,
one major function of precising definitions is to make laws and regulations more
precise, so there is less uncertainty regarding their application.
Precising definition are also useful in resolving verbal disputes. A verbal dispute
is a disagreement that is due solely to the ambiguity of a term. The American
philosopher William James (1842-1910) once told this story about some hunters
in a forest. One of the hunters was standing on one side of a tree and there was a
squirrel climbing on the other side of the tree trunk. The hunter tried to look at the
squirrel by walking around the tree, but the squirrel kept moving around the tree
as well and always stayed on the opposite side of the tree trunk. Now the hunter
certainly circled the tree, and the squirrel was on the tree. But did the hunter go
round the squirrel or not 7 . The hunters entered into a heated debate about this,
and it was left to James to adjudicate. He explained that it all depends on what go
round means:
If you mean passing from the north of him to the east, then to the
south, then to the west, and then to the north of him again, obviously
the man does go round him, for he occupies these successive positions.
But if on the contrary you mean being first in front of him, then
on the right of him, then behind him, then on his left, and finally in
front again, it is quite as obvious that the man fails to go round him,
for by the compensating movements the squirrel makes, he keeps his
belly turned towards the man all the time, and his back turned away.
Make the distinction, and there is no occasion for any farther dispute.
(James, 1995, p. 17)
This is a dispute that a precising definition can resolve. The ordinary meaning
of go round is not precise, and a more fine-grained distinction accurately pinpoints
the source of disagreement. Verbal disputes are contrasted with factual
disputes, which are disagreements about facts rather than meaning. If someone
thinks Sydney is the capital of Australia and others disagree, then this is a factual
dispute that can be resolved by checking the facts.
Many disputes are a mixture of verbal and factual disputes, and we should separate
them out to advance the discussion. Often, the first step is to use precising
definitions to clarify the issue. Take the question of whether nonhuman animals
have language. To answer this question, we should be more precise about
what language means. If it refers to any system of communication, then obviously
birds and other animals have languages, since they do communicate with
each other. On the other hand, language might also be used in a different sense,
requiring the use of words to form sentences according to a system of grammar
or being able to communicate about arbitrary objects and situations, including
those that might be far away and distant in time. Given this definition, many animal
communication systems do not qualify as languages. It is of course possible
that some mammals such as chimpanzees might possess language in this more