Catallaxy ® Institute - Classical Liberalism

Since the second World War a new trend in linguistic philosophy has emerged. It recognizes the existence of languages whose purpose is not only descriptive or even not descriptive at all ... The adherents of this new movement grant recognition also to nondescriptive (sometimes called "persuasive") languages. The aim of persuasive definitions is not to describe things, but to modify the traditional meaning of words with favourable connotations in order to induce people to adopt certain beliefs or certain forms of behavior. It is obvious that certain definitions of "freedom" may be and have been contrived in this way with the object of inducing people, for instance, to obey the orders of some ruler

Leoni, Bruno

Freedom and the Law

1961 , p. 43