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Stipulative Agreement
Stipulative agreements apply to a temporary consensus related to abstract terms conditioned by meaning within a specific dialogue. They result from an agreement among all parties engaged in a dialogue to define and use precise, generic terms. Alternatively, they may result from the insistence by an individual that a stipulated definition forms an essential condition before engaging in dialogue.
Generally, definiens require stipulated agreement on an abstract term (genus) before making any attempt to devise a concrete term (species) or element description. If the genus remains in question then the species does not bear division. Consequently, one must reject any classification that employs terms not agreed upon. [23]
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Definition by Stipulative Agreement
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Essential Nature
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Bees do not differ from each other because they have an essential nature. However, bees come in many different kinds. They differ from one another in size and shape, also in other respects.
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Classification
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Classification requires use of the term “bees” in a generic sense. Bees do not differ from each other at all. Therefore, bees have a common name and an individual may have a clear definition of them in mind.
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Consensus
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The name represents the only attribute that exists in the mind. Dialoguers lack joint inquiry and, therefore, consensus. Consensus becomes true by mutual decision and remains true for as long as the decision stands.
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Stipulation of abstract terms does not present too great a difficulty because for every act and every time personal knowledge already exists. For example, generically, bees do not differ from each other because they have an essential nature. However, bees come in many different kinds. They differ from one another in size and shape, also in other respects.
For the purposes of stipulation, classification (genus) requires use of the term “bees” in a generic sense: a sense in which bees do not differ from each other at all. [24] Therefore, something may have a common name and an individual may have a clear definition of it in mind. However, the name represents the only attribute that exists in the minds of all dialoguers. They lack joint inquiry and, therefore, consensus.
Names do not naturally have a reality of their own. Consequently, a consensus becomes true at the moment of mutual decision and remains true for as long as the decision stands. [25] Importantly, it always seems desirable to stipulate agreement, or reach a temporary consensus, about definition of abstract terms. This results from explicit statements and not from using terms without first deciding what they mean. [26]
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