Comment by blahedo

11 years ago

> Using a term to facilitate a discussion of that term is completely and entirely different from using it in other ways.

Side comment: The technical term for this is the "use-mention distinction". When you're dealing with rational people who don't understand the distinction (taking offence at your mention of a word as if you had used the word), explaining the distinction often helps, and the discussion is able to proceed. Doesn't help as much when dealing with irrational interlocutors, but then, not much does at that point.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Use-mention_distinction