Science Memes

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A place for majestic STEMLORD peacocking, as well as memes about the realities of working in a lab.

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I definitely never unsubscribed from a YouTube channel just for that... (files.catbox.moe)

submitted 3 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 months ago (2 children)

I accept it in colloquial discourse. I'm not happy about it, and I will smartass at everyone who isn't asking, but I accept that I'm probably fighting a losing battle. But in science, it's absolutely non-negotiable for words to mean what they mean, and not their own opposite.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

Various fields have to adapt their terms all the time. For example, "idiot", "moron", and "mental retardation" were all official medical terms. Then they got used as an insult by the population at large, and got so bad that the medical field had to abandon them.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago

Medical terms being used as an insult is a very specific (and problematic) case. And they also weren't turned into their own opposite. They were equalized with stupidity.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago

Tell that to conventional current vs electron flow. Science is ever updating with new information and the words we use to describe it will change over time as well, but I get what you mean. Prescriptive linguistics especially in formal settings like scientific writing is helpful for clear communication.