The Game Of Semantics

Words have meaning...

Words have power.

These are things we have often heard...

Yet...

Many people do not really understand what this really means...

Or how it is often used against us.

Recently, I have been noticing a trend that has been used in recent events...

As well as one that has been utilized in different parts of history...

In order to spread deception and crookedness...

And it has to do with words.

See, we as a society use words to help us understand the world around us...

To come into agreement...

But also we utilize words...

To shape the world around us.

It is this last power that belongs to words, which is where I have also found words utilized to abuse us...

To deceive us...

And to spread crookedness in a plethora of ways.

I have seen it utilized in politics...

In health...

And even in religion.

What I have watched different organizations and individuals do...

Is take words...

And purposefully attribute different meanings to those words...

The game of semantics...

In order to reshape the world around them in such a way as to benefit themselves...

But often to the detriment of others.

For instance...

I have been studying the rise of allopathic medicine in the Western world...

And how it came to become the powerful industry that it has today...

Over other forms of medicine, such as naturopathy...

Which has a significantly longer history...

(Allopathic medicine is around 200 years old, versus naturopathic, which has recorded roots dating back around 3000 years).

And arguably, much better success in many aspects of true health.

Now, I am not saying here that allopathic medicine does not have benefits or has not made good and even necessary contributions to health...

But what I am saying is that it is strange how naturopathic medicine, based in nature, has become so incredibly discredited...

Even though we are rediscovering in scientific research today, the many benefits it provides.

How did this happen?

Semantics.

There was one example in particular that struck me as interesting...

That was highlighted in my mind, coming from what is called the Flexner Report.

This was a report that was created by a number of allopathic practitioners at a time when allopathic medicine was in a very competitive space with many different types of medicines that today would fall under the umbrella of naturopathic medicine.

The report was designed to “set a precedent” of medical practices around the country.

But this is where things get odd...

When I ask...

What is medicine?

What would you say?

If you look back at ancient traditions...

Medicine would be defined as the practices that help people maintain or regain their health.

But...

There was a purposeful semantic change in the Flexner Report that changed the definition.

It defined “medicine” as that which cures specific “diseases”.

Now, you may “think” that this is “just” semantics...

But this change in semantics was utilized to attack and discredit naturopathic medicine.

How?

“Diseases” were often codified, specifically, within allopathic medicine...

But the practices of naturopathy often involve multiple pathways and multiple techniques to help with health challenges...

And not all of those challenges were “specific” to the allopathic “definitions” of “disease”.

Even if many of the naturopathic techniques prevent “disease” from ever happening, because they focus on the root causes of human health challenges.

The result of the report, though?

Because naturopathic institutions and traditions did not “fit” into the created definition...

Because their focus was different...

That definition was utilized to discredit the field and create fear mongering.

The ironic part of it all...

Is that allopathic medicine could not bring health to many people through their hyper-specific methodologies based on their definition of medicine...

And so “new” areas of research with “new” rules had to be created, such as the field of psychology, to make up for how badly naturopathic practices were made out to look in the public sphere...

Even though different naturopathic traditions had accounted for these types of health challenges in the past already.

Now, that is just “one” example of how semantics was utilized as a way to change perception in deceptive and crooked ways...

But I assure you that this practice has been used many times over the millennia...

And is still being used today.

Any time someone takes a word...

And changes the definition...

Even in a way that may seem harmless...

You should be at least wary.

The most common reason to change the definition of a word...

Is to shape the perception to fit a narrative that is beneficial for their own interests.

When someone has to utilize semantics to create an image that is beneficial for themselves...

There is a good probability that their intentions are at least suspect...

If not purposefully deceptive and crooked.

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