Words and phrases that don't make sense

Some words and phrases have impossible, misleading, or unhelpful meanings when understood literally.

The verb “to make” #

The verb to make has the impossible literal meaning to create matter. So far there is no evidence of matter being created. The verb to make can be replaced by other verbs depending on context:

to make a bed -> to organize a bed
to make food -> to cook food
to make a song -> to compose a song
to make a house -> to build a house

The adjective “objective” #

The adjective objective has the impossible literal meaning existing independently from the assessments of an entity. In order for a thing to exist at all, it must be sensed by an entity such as a camera, a humidity sensor, an eye, an ear, a finger, etc. It is not possible to sense a stimulus without assessing it. The camera assesses the colors to form an image, the humidity sensor assesses the humidity level to create a humidity reading, the eye assesses the image to send to the brain, the ear assess the sound frequencies to send to the brain, the finger assesses pressure and temperature to send to the brain, etc.

A camera that cannot assess color and brightness will form a black image.
A humidity sensor that cannot assess humidity will show a humidity level of 0%.
An eye that cannot assess what it sees is blind.
An ear that cannot assess what it hears is deaf.
A finger that cannot assess what it touches cannot feel.

All things are subjective to the entities that assess them. Nothing is objective, so the adjective ojbective can be replaced by the adjective impartial depending on context:

the objective facts -> the impartial facts
an objective judge -> the impartial judge

Reality is everything. This includes fantasy, meat, bones, thoughts, matter, energy, information. Reality is the information one senses and remembers. All information that is sensed must be assessed or remembered. If information is not sensed or remembered, it cannot be assessed. If something cannot be assessed, it cannot be sensed. If something cannot be sensed, it is not real. Reality does not exist beyond one’s senses or memories. What is not part of reality is not part of everything, so it cannot be sensed.

The phrase “force of gravity” #

The phrase force of gravity is misleading because it suggests that gravity is a force, but gravity is an acceleration, not a force. The formula for calculating force is \(F=ma\). To calculate the force of a moving object you need to know the mass of an object \(m\) and its acceleration \(a\). When an object is free-falling, the acceleration of gravity is \(9.8 m/s^2\).

The phrase the force of gravity can be replaced depending on context:

the force of gravity -> the force of mass times gravity
the force of gravity -> the acceleration of gravity

The phrase “volts of current” #

The phrase volts of current is misleading because it suggests that current is voltage, but current is amperage, not voltage.

The formula for calculating voltage is Ohm’s Law \(V = I × R\). To calculate voltage you need to know the current \(I\) and resistance \(R\). This means voltage is not resistance.

The phrase volts of current can be replaced depending on context:

car batteries have 12 volts of current -> car batteries have 12 volts of voltage
that high-voltage wire is dangerous -> that high-current wire is dangerous

The phrase “grow thicker skin” #

The phrase grow thicker skin is a metaphor commonly given as advice to those who have to deal with insufferable people and their unacceptable behavior. This is bad advice because it suggests that people stop being assholes if you simply ignore them.

The phrase grow thicker skin can be replaced depending on context:

grow thicker skin -> don’t grow thicker skin, grow bigger claws