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| ▲ | 1123581321 a day ago | parent | next [-] | | They both have multiple meanings in English. The article was using reflexive this way: “ characterized by habitual and unthinking behavior.” https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reflexive Is that fair to the word given its roots, no, but that is English for you. :) | | |
| ▲ | cjs_ac a day ago | parent [-] | | As bad as Merriam-Webster is, you might notice that 'characterised by habitual and unthinking behaviour' is the fourth, i.e., least common, definition offered, not the first. | | |
| ▲ | Izkata 18 hours ago | parent | next [-] | | Merriam-Webster uses historical order, not how common the meanings are [0], which makes more sense to me - I'm not entirely sure I've ever heard the "reflective" meaning for "reflexive". The "unthinking" meaning is definitely more common. [0] https://www.merriam-webster.com/help/explanatory-notes/dict-... (See "Order of Senses") | |
| ▲ | 1123581321 a day ago | parent | prev [-] | | Somehow I knew you would keep digging. :) It’s not marked as an archaic so any of them are valid. Context tells the reader which is being used. | | |
| ▲ | cjs_ac a day ago | parent [-] | | > Somehow I knew you would keep digging. :) I was the teacher who thought words were fun. Sadly, that doesn't seem to be acceptable any more. :( > Context tells the reader which is being used. That's the thing: if you read the CEO's post on its own, with both meanings in mind, it's not clear (at least to me) which is intended. | | |
| ▲ | 1123581321 15 hours ago | parent | next [-] | | Words are fun, especially etymology! And students do respond well to enthusiasm for them, or at least appreciate it later. Thank you for that. My wife also teaches English and a foreign language so that’s a part of our life. That said, how could you have read this and not understood the context for the definition used?! “The phrase “reflexive AI usage” is what triggered my strongest reaction. “Reflexive” suggests unthinking, automatic reliance.” I thought it was fine to object that you liked the primary definition the most and had the strongest association with it. | |
| ▲ | gorjusborg a day ago | parent | prev [-] | | Words and civil debate seeking truth are fun! The following behavior is not. > No, reflexive and reflective are synonyms; ... > I was the teacher who thought words were fun. Sadly, that doesn't seem to be acceptable any more. :( |
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| ▲ | fnordlord a day ago | parent | prev | next [-] | | Regardless of etymology, I believe the use of “reflexive” means something different in the article than “reflective.” The Shopify CEO isn’t describing insightful use of AI in coding. He is describing automatic, unthinking use of AI.
At least, that it was my understanding. | |
| ▲ | rout39574 a day ago | parent | prev | next [-] | | It's been a LONG time since my latin. But doesn't the active vs. passive capture the distinction we're talking about in English quite well? A reflexive action is taken passively, without thought. A reflective action is taken actively, with careful thought. | |
| ▲ | a day ago | parent | prev [-] | | [deleted] |
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