Re: Neologisms

[Andreas Ramos <andreas -at- NETCOM -dot- COM>]

The word "closure" is from literary post-modernism (esp. the French
Derrida/Foucault style.) It is not psychobabble, in that it has nothing
to do with psychoanalytics or californian goofy psycho-stuff.
Since I didn't do any philosophy from a French approach (my M.A. is
philosophy in the German tradition), perhaps someone else can define
"closure". The problem with French postmodernism, however, is that they
don't beleive in definitions. Makes it kind of interesting, they think.

yrs,
andreas
______________________________________________________________________________
Andreas Ramos, M.A.                                   Sacramento, California
                                                           Tlf:(916)448-8756
                                                           Fax:(916)448-7559


On Wed, 2 Mar 1994, Alun Whittaker wrote:

> Recently, I've noticed the increasing use of the word "closure" in
> an emotional or psycho-babble sense meaning anything from "catharsis"
> to "healing", "conciliation" to "forgiveness".

> Until a few months ago, I don't believe that I had heard the word
> other than in a strict mathematical usage or in a description of a
> fastening on an item of clothing. Now it seems to be occuring
> daily in political and social commentary and in artistic
> criticism.

> Can anyone enlighten me whether "closure" has a real psycho-analytical
> or psychiatric meaning (the M-W doesn't include one) and how the word
> suddenly entered the media vocabulary.

> Alun Whittaker
> Schlumberger GeoQuest
> Corte Madera, CA USA
> ----------------------------------
> alun -at- corte-madera -dot- geoquest -dot- slb -dot- com
> ----------------------------------