1) a short, concise statement of a principle,
or;
2) a short, pointed sentence expressing a
wise or clever observation or a general
truth.
There is nothing wrong with using an aphorism
to communicate an idea. Indeed, such a
cliche can often lead to instant
understanding simply because
we've used a familiar phrase to make our
point.
They can get us into trouble, however, when
they float through our heads, unexamined, and
pop up in automatic response to questions
that deserve more attention. "Unexamined" is
the key word here. It's possible to
unconciously harbor contradictory, random
notions,
and that can make for all sorts of trouble in
forming the basic assumptions that underlie
our actions.
Here are some examples of what we're talking
about: (we're not considering their truth or
falsehood here, just listing examples)
"Everything is relative"
/
"All religions are basically the same"
/
"Women are inferior to men"
/
"Men are inferior to women"
/
"If it feels good, it is good"
/
"Don't be so sure; no one can be certain of
anything"
/
"That may be good in theory, but it doesn't
work in practice"
/
"There is intelligent life elsewhere in the
universe"
/
"We are alone in the universe"
/
"You can't legislate morality"
/
"God loves you"
/
"I couldn't help it! nobody can help anything
they do"
/
"To err is human"
/
"Religion is myth"
/
"People are basically good"
/
"There are no absolutes"
/
"Some things are absolutely wrong"
/
"It may be true for you, but it's not true
for me"
