Re: subculture

[Todd Trimble <trimble1@optonline.net>]

Dear Andre,

As someone who contributes to the nLab, let me assure you that
opinions on the appropriateness of the word "evil" (in the sense
being discussed here) also vary among workers in the nLab.
Not all of the subscribers of this list may know about the nLab,
but we are far from a homogeneous block. There are certainly
regular nLab contributors who have voiced their displeasure with
the word.

I think you're right: the people who use this term are still a
pretty small group. Nevertheless, sometimes slang terms do
catch fire and become widespread, and evidently this has
become a cause for alarm for some people here.

While I won't take a position on the acceptability on the word
myself, beyond saying that it's not likely to become part of my
own language, I would at least like to defend its appearance
in the nLab. To some extent, the nLab functions as a dictionary
for those who work with categorical language (that is at least
one of its functions). So one could view the people who edit
the nLab as, in part, editors of a dictionary; as such, there is
a kind of obligation to record uses of the living language and
describe it as accurately as possible.  Thus the function here is
descriptive, not prescriptive (or proscriptive).

That said, it's also true that reputable dictionaries will record
how the word is received by speakers: some words may be
described as 'vulgar' or 'offensive' (at least for some speakers),
or as slang or substandard or whatever. So if a word like "evil"
is offensive to some people here, it's arguably our responsibility
to record that fact as well, and link to this discussion here.

A case in point is the (I think tongue-in-cheek) expression
"fascist functor". Some of you may recall that a "free functor"
is to the "left" (in an adjoint string), so a "fascist functor" would
be to the "right" in an adjoint string. It's a little jokey (as some
people think "evil" is), and yet it still excites emotions, as we
discovered in a recent nForum discussion. Something of those
reactions were hinted at in the Lab, and I think we would do
well to do the same with regard to "evil".

Best,

Todd



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Joyal, André" <joyal.andre@uqam.ca>
To: "Ruadhai" <ruadhai@gmail.com>; "Eduardo J. Dubuc" <edubuc@dm.uba.ar>
Cc: "Categories list" <categories@mta.ca>
Sent: Saturday, September 25, 2010 7:10 PM
Subject: categories: RE : categories: subculture


Dear All,

I am displeased with the idea that
terminology is purely conventional
and that everything is acceptable.
The "evil" terminology is promoted
by a small group of peoples active in the nLab.
It does not reflect a commun usage in the
mathematical community.

Best,
André


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