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It's not a helpful response, but then saying 'we should work hard to go to space' as a comment is generally accepted but is actually quite meaningless. Why not
by verisimi 1y ago
It's not a helpful response, but then saying 'we should work hard to go to space' as a comment is generally accepted but is actually quite meaningless.
Why not say 'NASA' or 'my colleagues at NASA' or 'as a scientist' or 'humanity'. One should at least indicate the group the collective noun relates to, rather than assume this is understood. One shouldn't assume that one can speak for everyone, when that is most likely not the case.
- xandrius 1y agoSo one can say "humanity" but not "we" (implying humanity)? Interesting take.
- verisimi 1y ago"We" is highly ambiguous. It ranges from 'me and my dog', to 'humanity', to anything in between. It's of course fine to us once the group has been defined. That it invokes the idea of a consensus humanity, that one group can speak and decide for everyone (say, scientists or politicians) is a psychological trick, imo, in that it presumes a consensus.