Category: Insistence

Defining insistence

Andrew Taggart

A first go at a definition of insistence:

  • Insistence is the firmly held conviction that the relevant agents would be best off were they to act based on
    • (i) the belief that P is the right (or best) way to do things or
    • (ii) the belief that Q is the right (best, most accurate, most coherent, etc.) view of the world.

How does insistence manifest itself?

Andrew Taggart

In what typical statements does insistence manifest itself?

  • I know how it is (and must be and cannot be otherwise).
  • This is how we’ve always done things around here (and this is how we’ll continue to do things around here).
  • That’s how I was taught (and I’m just doing what I was told: you should too).
  • This is the right way to proceed. (Other ways are not worth considering.)
  • I know what’s best for us.
  • Based on my experience, we would be best off if we were to–.
  • The most effective way of–.
  • We should–, we ought to–.
  • We must–, we have to–.
  • Everyone is supposed to–.

When we review the list above, what do we discover are the linguistic indicators or telltale signs of insistence?

Continue reading “How does insistence manifest itself?” →