Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2014-07-01]: It has long been assumed that there is only one 'canonical' genetic code, so each word means the same thing to every organism. Now, this paradigm has been challenged by the discovery of large numbers of exceptions from the canonical genetic code. Researchers found that the stop codon interpretation varies widely. [1] The meaning of words is defined by us. And then we try to derive the meaning based on... words! What?!? Humpty Dumpty in "Through the Looking Glass" states, "When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean -- neither more nor less". But in what words is he thinking of the meaning he wants to give? Puzzling... Or totally liberating someone "illogical" might say...
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