3 ms·

That is why scientific papers have so much "let x be ..."

• atoav 5y ago
  You can use variables, this is also done in philosophy where a philosopher will first define the precise meaning of a certain term they are using and then use it within further discussion. This is totally okay if done transparently and for a reason. What is a pitfall however to declare these variables implicitly and rely on them too long. As a writer it is very easy to forget this because of course you know what topic you are writing about. As a reader however you have to do some work to get into the same (or similar) world of thinking as the one the writer created for you. Same is true for speaking. Of course I know what I mean when I say something, but the other person might not even know what language I am speaking in and would have to decipher that first. In a similar way people have to decipher abstract topics you might be talking about
• mapgrep 5y ago
  Legal documents do this as well (albeit in different language, typically at the top of the document).