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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] Limitations of etymology

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  • From: Peter Kirk <peter AT qaya.org>
  • To: "Read, James C" <K0434995 AT kingston.ac.uk>
  • Cc: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Limitations of etymology
  • Date: Sat, 19 Nov 2005 00:06:40 +0000

On 18/11/2005 17:58, Read, James C wrote:

Recently we have extensively discussed concepts such as 'core' meaning
and etymological evidences of that core meaning. We have gone through
the various uses of olam and discussed it range of meanings and
evidence has been brought in from its etymology. This made me thikn of
a parallel example in English.

Infinite

'Infinite' comes from 'finite' which means a clearly defined amount. 'Infinite'
is the semantic opposite of 'finite' and etymologically should mean 'an
undefined amount'. But is that its 'core' meaning???


James, I think you are here misunderstanding "finite". Its etymological meaning is certainly "having a finish", rather than "definite" or "clearly defined". Mathematically and physically, there is a clear difference between "finite" and "definite". In fact I think Gödel's Theorem implies that there are numerical results (e.g. the number of steps until a Turing machine stops) which are finite but which are not at all definite in that they cannot in principle be calculated (but my understanding of the theorem is I admit rather weak.) And the etymology of "infinite" is clearly "not having a finish". In this case this corresponds rather well with the core meaning "without limits", although this would not be true in every case, even of "indefinitely".

...

Could it be that 'olam' has the same behaviour. That its etymology is an undefined
and hidden amount of time but that its core usage (in the future) is synonym of
'forever'?


The words certainly have something in common. `Olam refers, it seems to me, to a time without limits in the past or future, a time without finish in the future or start in the past. But "infinite time" would not be a good translation, because (at least to the modern mathematical and scientific mind) it implies that time is infinite in the past and/or the future - whereas according to modern cosmology (and the Bible) there was a specific time of the start of the universe, and the issue of whether time will be infinite in the future is a hotly debated one.

--
Peter Kirk
peter AT qaya.org (personal)
peterkirk AT qaya.org (work)
http://www.qaya.org/





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