Literary notes about Definition (AI summary)
The term "definition" in literature functions both as a precise tool for philosophical delineation and as a strategic device in narrative discourse. Philosophers utilize it to specify abstract ideas—clarifying the nature of justice, the soul, or the emotions, for instance, as seen when justice is scrutinized from a moral standpoint [1] or when the concept of matter is bounded by its own criteria [2]. At the same time, novelists and essayists sometimes invoke definitions to create irony or to provoke debate, as in the witty allusion to detective work [3] or the playful assertion about the human condition [4]. Whether serving as the culmination of a logical argument [5] or as the starting point for further reflection on societal constructs [6], the word "definition" is imbued with a versatility that supports both rigorous analysis and creative exposition.
- But then, I said, speaking the truth and paying your debts is not a correct definition of justice.
— from The Republic by Plato - Now, the irregular appearances of the star are not, strictly speaking, members of the system which is the star, according to our definition of matter.
— from The Analysis of Mind by Bertrand Russell - “It’s a very bad definition, but it does apply to detective work.”
— from A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle - In fact, I believe that the best definition of man is the ungrateful biped.
— from White Nights and Other Stories by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - In one word, a full and clear definition ought, in philosophy, rather to form the conclusion than the commencement of our labours.
— from The Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant - According to this definition of ours, the Roman people is a people, and its weal is without doubt a commonwealth or republic.
— from The City of God, Volume II by Bishop of Hippo Saint Augustine
