UGRC 150: CRITICAL THINKING AND
PRACTICAL REASONING
INSTRUCTOR: DR. STEPHEN
NKANSAH MORGAN
SENIOR LECTURER, DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY & CLASSICS
UNIVERSITY OF GHANA
LEGON
2023/2024 Academic Year
UNIT 2
DEFINITIONS
2023/2024 Academic Year
OBJECTIVES
❑To understand and identify six types of
definitions.
❑To appreciate the distinction between ‘well-
defined’ words and ‘open-textured’ words.
❑To identify and diagnose some problems
arising with definitions.
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FEATURES OF A DEFINITION
•Definitions present the meaning of a word.
•There are four aspects of a definition that we
need to take note of, namely:
1. The word’s connotation
2. And the word’s denotation
3. Definiendum
4. Definiens
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CONNOTATION
•A word’s connotation is the characteristics or
features, or properties associated with it.
•For example, the standard connotation for a
chair is: a type of furniture that is produced for
one person to sit upon with a back support.
•NB: Most words have more than one
connotation.
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DENOTATION
•Given the connotation for a chair as: a type of
furniture that is produced for one person to sit
upon with a back support, the denotation of
chair is the collection of all the things in the
world that are correctly picked out by this
definition.
•BASIC DIFFERENCE: Connotation
describes, while denotation identifies which
items fit the description.
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DEFINIENDUM VS DEFINIENS
•A standard definition has two parts,
namely definiendum and definiens.
•DEFINIENDUM: is the word being
defined (the subject of the statement).
•DEFINIENS: is the rest of the sentence
that gives the word’s connotation.
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TYPES OF DEFINITIONS
[Link] definition
[Link] Definition
[Link] Definition
[Link] Definition
[Link] Definition
[Link] Definition
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LEXICAL DEFINITION
•This is simply the definition offered by a
dictionary.
•This is the most common and simplistic
source of information about the meaning of
the word.
ACTIVITY TIME
•Try Activity 2.1 in your reader.
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OSTENSIVE DEFINITION
• A definition that is provided by a demonstration in real life,
not by using other words, is called an ostensive definition.
▪ Colour words like blue or red are best defined by pointing
to them.
▪ Similarly, words that describe actions are sometimes
difficult to define using other words. Example, pounding
fufu, agbadza, etc.
▪ This definition can be very limiting since demonstrating it
with one or two instances may not be enough to capture
all of the various possible denotations of the word.
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OPERATIONAL DEFINITION
• To give an operation definition is to give a list of
instructions or to describe a sequence of steps or an
operation or procedure which, when followed, will
reveal or demonstrate how the word is used
correctly.
• For example, if a foreigner asks you, what is gari
soakings. And your reply is: Take a cup of gari, add
two tablespoons of sugar, add peanut, add milk.
Then stir the mixture until you have an even mix.
Then, finally, add water while stirring.
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THEORETICAL DEFINITION
• These are meanings that come from theories that have been
accepted in specific fields of scientific knowledge, and from
social studies or the humanities.
• The use of these definitions is based upon the theory
achieving general acceptance.
• Example, Water is H2O, which is a theoretical definition of
water acceptable in Chemistry
• NB: Some everyday words can have different definitions
under different topics.
ACTIVITY TIME
• Try activity 1.4 to help understand this further.
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STIPULATIVE DEFINITION
• These are definitions that have been agreed upon
within a certain context or subject matter to serve
a practical purpose.
• For instance, for the purpose of debate, analysis
or policy making, it can be useful to establish
explicitly that you agree upon a specific definition
for the course of the exercise, debate, discussion
or essay.
• These are important for open-textured words such
as development, justice and beauty.
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IDEAL DEFINITION
• These are definitions that capture the real or
essential meaning of the word. Hence, it is also
known as real definition, the ideal definition or
the essential definition.
• Philosophers are noted for seeking the real
meaning of concepts in a process called
abstraction.
• Ideal definitions are difficult to attain or may not
even be attained at times. Still, it is a helpful
exercise if we are, for instance, debating whether
the judges in the election petition were fair or not.
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IDEAL DEFINITION
•Ideal definitions are, however, achievable for
well-defined words.
•This type of ideal definition is also called an
eliminative definition.
•Examples:
An even number is a whole number that is
divisible by two.
A square is a plane figure with four equal
sides.
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UNIT 2 SECTION 2 & 3
WELL-DEFINED TERMS
&
OPEN CLASS CONCEPTS
2023/2024 Academic Year
WELL-DEFINED TERMS
• Well-defined terms are terms or words that
can be given an ideal or essential definition.
•Their meanings are not contestable.
•Almost all the words in mathematics are well-
defined.
•Outside of pure science like mathematics, it is
difficult to find well-defined words.
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OPEN CLASS CONCEPTS
• While it is difficult to find well-defined terms outside of
mathematics, open-class concepts are all over the
place.
• These are words or terms that cannot be well-defined.
They are open because they can have different
connotations under different circumstances.
• They are also referred to as open-textured words or
essentially contestable concepts.
• Examples: democracy, modernity, justice, equality,
etc. Their meanings are contestable.
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UNIT 2 SECTION 4
DIAGNOSING
PROBLEMS WITH
DEFINITIONS
2023/2024 Academic Year
PROBLEMS ARISING WITH DEFINITIONS
1. Too narrow
2. Too broad
3. Vague
4. Circular
NB: A given definition may be flawed in more
than one way.
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TOO NARROW
• The definiens does not cover all the things that
correctly belong in the extension or denotation
of the word.
Example: A book is any collection of paper
material that is meant to be read.
This definition of a book is too narrow because by the
connotation, we are unable to denote other books that
are not made with paper (e-books), and books that are
not meant to be read.
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TOO BROAD
•The definiens covers things that do not
belong in the denotation of the word.
•Example: A pencil is any material that you
can write with.
This is too broad because, by the connotation
offered, we can denote a lot of things that
usually are not considered pencils.
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VAGUE
• The definiens does not specify adequately to
determine what belongs to the word’s denotation.
• This is a criticism that applies to definiens that are
so imprecise that it is not clear what sort of things
they denote.
Examples:
• A soil is a heap of sand that works.
• Religion is that which permeates and
transcends the soul
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CIRCULAR
•The definiens repeats the definendum.
•It is also called begging the question.
Example:
Morality is doing what is morally right.
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END OF SLIDES
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