5 ms·

This seems like one of those posts where an exoticizing foreigner picks up a perfectly normal word and says it "means" a whole lot of extra things, just because

This seems like one of those posts where an exoticizing foreigner picks up a perfectly normal word and says it "means" a whole lot of extra things, just because it was used in philosophical texts writing about those things. From other comments, it's just a distinction between "duration" and "instant". Nothing deep, exists in lots of languages. If you want to get the joy of Greek philosophy, you're going to need the philosophy. It isn't just magically included in the language.

exolymph 5y ago
A great deal of the Wikipedia article is about the term's philosophical usage in different schools of thought, so... what are you mad about exactly?
- azernik 5y ago
  That the article poses the philosophical works as being part of the definition of the word. From the opening: "Kairos (Ancient Greek: καιρός) is an Ancient Greek word meaning the right, critical, or opportune moment.[1] The ancient Greeks had two words for time: chronos (χρόνος) and kairos. The former refers to chronological or sequential time, while the latter signifies a proper or opportune time for action. While chronos is quantitative, kairos has a qualitative, permanent nature." Whereas actually, from Greek speakers here, the difference is that chronos is when you say "it's taking a long time", and kairos is when you say "it's time for lunch". All that "proper or opportune time for action"? "Qualitative, permanent nature"? That is a very specialized usage, mostly used in foreign languages.
  - d_tr 5y ago
    In modern Greek we also use a lot of composite words with the word "καιρός" in them, so all that is actually still "alive" in these. For example, we translate "opportunity" as "ευκαιρία", which is a female noun. Then there is the more negatively loaded male noun "καιροσκόπος" for the word "opportunist". Or "πολυκαιρισμένος" for "timeworn", the adjective "καίριος" for "well-timed" or "crucial" depending on context, and more. The same holds for other "loaded" ancient Greek words.
bobthechef 5y ago
Huh? I wonder what you'd say about λόγος.
- koziserek 5y ago
  my first thought as well. One can argue that Christian teology is older than modern Greek, therefore gravity of Logos is stronger than anywhere else
greatNespresso 5y ago
Couldn't agree more on this
stavros 5y ago
In this case, it's not. We really do use "kairos" to mean "the opportune moment". It's not about instant versus durable, it's never kairos for something that's not supposed to happen now, no matter how instant.

exolymph 5y ago

A great deal of the Wikipedia article is about the term's philosophical usage in different schools of thought, so... what are you mad about exactly?

azernik 5y ago
That the article poses the philosophical works as being part of the definition of the word. From the opening: "Kairos (Ancient Greek: καιρός) is an Ancient Greek word meaning the right, critical, or opportune moment.[1] The ancient Greeks had two words for time: chronos (χρόνος) and kairos. The former refers to chronological or sequential time, while the latter signifies a proper or opportune time for action. While chronos is quantitative, kairos has a qualitative, permanent nature." Whereas actually, from Greek speakers here, the difference is that chronos is when you say "it's taking a long time", and kairos is when you say "it's time for lunch". All that "proper or opportune time for action"? "Qualitative, permanent nature"? That is a very specialized usage, mostly used in foreign languages.
- d_tr 5y ago
  In modern Greek we also use a lot of composite words with the word "καιρός" in them, so all that is actually still "alive" in these. For example, we translate "opportunity" as "ευκαιρία", which is a female noun. Then there is the more negatively loaded male noun "καιροσκόπος" for the word "opportunist". Or "πολυκαιρισμένος" for "timeworn", the adjective "καίριος" for "well-timed" or "crucial" depending on context, and more. The same holds for other "loaded" ancient Greek words.

bobthechef 5y ago

Huh? I wonder what you'd say about λόγος.

koziserek 5y ago
my first thought as well. One can argue that Christian teology is older than modern Greek, therefore gravity of Logos is stronger than anywhere else

greatNespresso 5y ago

Couldn't agree more on this

stavros 5y ago

In this case, it's not. We really do use "kairos" to mean "the opportune moment". It's not about instant versus durable, it's never kairos for something that's not supposed to happen now, no matter how instant.