For my book, I am trying to create a limited palette of words with technical meanings. I will allow myself a few simple unbeautiful technical-sounding words. For instance, it seems alterity and pluralism will be unavoidable. These will be defined and used with discipline and precision wherever they occur. I also plan to pick apart some common synonyms:

• Real, actual, existent.
• True, correct, right.
• Reasonable, rational, logical.
• Mistake, misconception, error.
• Concept, idea, thought.
• Insight, fact, truth.
• Practice, action, behavior.

The rest will be concrete and durable words likely to remain immediate (“Experience-near” in Geertz’s words), but also likely to introduce some imprecision, interpretive ambiguity and freedom into the reading. I’ll try to protect against any abuses I can anticipate, but I am a pluralist at heart and I celebrate conflict.