Shortly before he retired, Richard Smith, the editor for many years of BMJ, started an editorial with the statement "Today I'm in old fart mode." I am grateful to him for having set the precedent, because today I am definitely in old fart mode. As befits such a state, I am going to rant about modern trends. Today the topic is language and, in particular, jargon and neologisms. My particular prejudice is that many new terms are problematic in that they do not facilitate communication (and are often inelegant). Whereas God prevented the building of the Tower of Babel by imposing different languages on humanity, scientists from different subdisciplines impose jargon and neologisms on themselves, and this does not help in the building of knowledge. Before I start, I should make 2 things clear. First, what I am going to say is not JPN policy. Articles containing all the terms I criticize will be welcome at JPN and will be assessed without consideration for my particular idiosyncrasies and dislikes. Second, I realize that I am revealing my ignorance. However, if you have the urge to email me and point out how one of the terms I am criticizing has a clear, specific and useful meaning, please don't. Over the years, several of my colleagues have attempted to educate me, but without success. Only my students are up to the task.
展开▼
