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To: Mad Dawg
I would say, "Trenton is on the planet Earth (despite the evidence of our senses)," is accurate, but not precise.

I disagree. That statement tells you EXACTLY on which planet you can find Trenton. :)

Here's a different example: "The United States is located on the North American continent." Not very many people would dispute this, but strictly speaking, it's not a true statement. Most of this country is indeed located on the North American continent, but then there's also Hawai'i sitting out there in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. So the statement is "almost accurate", but it is inaccurate nonetheless, and this is due to nothing more than its lack of precision.

But as you said, some people use these words differently, and YMMV. Unfortunately, that can sometimes make discourse pretty difficult.

63 posted on 01/05/2008 3:29:25 PM PST by Zero Sum (Liberalism: The damage ends up being a thousand times the benefit! (apologies to Rabbi Benny Lau))
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To: Zero Sum
Uh oh. I see a sidebar.

What your saying is that my statement about Trenton (which, of course, theologically, we call "Hell") is precise because the degree of precision of the locating term was sufficiently broad. Am I right?

I gotta think this over.

67 posted on 01/05/2008 3:33:24 PM PST by Mad Dawg (Oh Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.)
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