You might think that “rhetoric” and “oratory” came from the same linguistic root. But it appears not, which is fitting, considering the difference in meaning. Scholars tell us that rhetoric comes from the hypothetical IndoEuropean root WER, meaning to speak, and oratory from ŌR, meaning a sound, or more specifically a ritual formula, particularly one […]
Category: Columnists
Tiago Villanueva: What is it like working as an “Uber-style” doctor?
The steady “Uberification” of modern life continues, and with it have come companies that provide “Uber style” medical home visits for patients. KNOK began operating in Portugal in December 2015. A patient can call a GP and a number of other specialists through an app. This lets you see a map which shows which doctors are […]
Richard Smith: Death and the inescapable logic of greed
Martin Shkreli is the man who became infamous through buying the rights to Darapim (pyrethamine) and raising the price by 5000% from $13.50 to $750 per pill. There is, I suggest, an inescapable logic to his move that Hillary Clinton described as “outrageous.” Pyrethamine has been around since 1959 and used, usually in combination, to […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . Presidential rhetoric
The main current meaning of rhetoric is “the art of using language effectively so as to persuade or influence others” (OED). But in ancient Greece and Rome rhetoric was an important component of education, part of the curriculum known as the trivium—grammar, rhetoric, and dialectic (logic). In this sense it was elegantly defined by Margaret […]
Martin McKee: The High Court ruling on Brexit—what have we learned?
The ruling by three of the most senior judges in England and Wales that Theresa May must seek the approval of Parliament before triggering Article 50, signifying the United Kingdom’s (UK) intention to leave the European Union (EU), should not have come as any great surprise. Throughout the case, the Lord Chief Justice repeatedly expressed […]
Richard Smith: The optimal peer review system?
Peer review is faith not evidence based, but most scientists believe in it as some people believe in the Loch Ness monster. Research into peer review has mostly failed to show benefit but has shown a substantial downside (slow, expensive, largely a lottery, wasteful of scientific time, fails to detect most errors, rejects the truly […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . Choleric
The third of Galen’s four fluid humours of the body, χολή, [yellow] bile, was associated, when in supposed excess, with a choleric temperament, “disposed to anger or easily angered; hot-tempered, fiery; bad-tempered, irascible; irritable, cantankerous” (OED). This couldn’t be more different from the phlegmatic temperament, “not easily excited to feeling or action; stolidly calm, self-possessed, […]
Richard Smith: Holbein’s Dance of Death—the perfect Christmas present
Hans Holbein produced his Dance of Death in Basle in 1526, mainly because he needed the money. Pictures of the dance of death were fashionable, featuring on the walls of cemeteries, and people wanted their own pictures. The pictures have been reproduced many times in many forms since then, and the latest version is a […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . Empathy and compassion
In my last two blogs I discussed empathy and suggested that it may take different forms. Here I expand on those ideas and compare sympathy, empathy, and compassion. I take it as axiomatic that it is not possible to achieve what I have called true empathy. In other words, because one cannot fully understand another’s […]
Richard Smith: STPs—too much sustainability, too little transformation?
STPs (Sustainability and Transformation Plans) are the device that it is hoped will save the NHS in England by dramatically improving efficiency and allowing NHS bodies to balance their budgets. They are being drawn up in the 44 “footprints” of England and are intended to cover acute hospitals, mental health, community services, and social care. […]