Languish.org

General Category => Off the Record => Topic started by: Martinus on May 04, 2009, 06:12:07 AM

Title: CdM: Question about your sig
Post by: Martinus on May 04, 2009, 06:12:07 AM
Quote"Better that a whole generation of men, women, children should pass away by a violent death, than that one word of [The Declaration of Independence] should be violated in this country"
--John Brown, Abolitionist

The part about the generation does not make sense to me - if it is just one generation, then it wouldn't include children AND adults at the same time, since they would belong to different generations. Could you explain this to me?
Title: Re: CdM: Question about your sig
Post by: grumbler on May 04, 2009, 06:30:44 AM
Quote from: Martinus on May 04, 2009, 06:12:07 AM
Quote"Better that a whole generation of men, women, children should pass away by a violent death, than that one word of [The Declaration of Independence] should be violated in this country"
--John Brown, Abolitionist

The part about the generation does not make sense to me - if it is just one generation, then it wouldn't include children AND adults at the same time, since they would belong to different generations. Could you explain this to me?
Even if Brown were using the term scientifically, rather than generally, a generation could include both adults and children; just not the children of those adults.

"Generation" means, among other things, "a population born around the same time."  This is vague enough to include everyone alive at a given time, which is how Brown uses it (and Lincoln did much the same thing).
Title: Re: CdM: Question about your sig
Post by: Grey Fox on May 04, 2009, 06:46:00 AM
20 years Marti, 20 years.
Title: Re: CdM: Question about your sig
Post by: garbon on May 04, 2009, 11:11:48 AM
Quote from: Grey Fox on May 04, 2009, 06:46:00 AM
20 years Marti, 20 years.

Although not so much anymore.
Title: Re: CdM: Question about your sig
Post by: Valmy on May 04, 2009, 12:01:35 PM
Quote from: grumbler on May 04, 2009, 06:30:44 AM
"Generation" means, among other things, "a population born around the same time."  This is vague enough to include everyone alive at a given time, which is how Brown uses it (and Lincoln did much the same thing).

Yes though it was used in that sense alot more back in the day then it is today.
Title: Re: CdM: Question about your sig
Post by: The Brain on May 04, 2009, 12:05:54 PM
Who cares? He was doped out of his mind when he wrote that anyway.