Updated Oct 22, 2022
I find the concept of terminology quite interesting. It's a tool in our language that makes thinking more efficient. It's an abstraction layer that allows you to explain complex topics quicker and accurately. Once you name a phenomenon, you can build more complex ideas using it.
There's only one thing: it requires domain knowledge. Think about computers. The process of "understanding" for humans and machines is somewhat similar: read instructions, compile, execute, and render. So if someone doesn't have a "compiler", they won't understand.
Going a level higher, there's a structure we choose to describe something. If you over-simplify so everyone can understand, you lose data (.mp3?). If you are too close to the structure you use in your mind, you lose the audience (.flac?).
This balance is important. For example, if science is over-popularized it stops being useful. People engage but stop thinking.
This is taking something with substance and value and coring it out so that it can be swallowed without chewing.
In writing, it's a matter of connection between the work and the reader:
Everyone is constantly trying to articulate the secret languages in their head to the outside world. If your language is too secret, then no one can understand; if your language is completely public, then there's no mystery. There's no longer the pleasure of decoding.
Ultimately, the main reason to put thoughts into words is to communicate with others. If the idea has lost too much after compression, maybe it's not time to share it at all?
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