Re: MD "friends"

[elephant]

Title: Re: MD "friends"

To describe is to prescribe and to prescribe is to describe.  

From: "Bell, Tim" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: Fri, 18 May 2001 12:00:09 +0100
To: "'[EMAIL PROTECTED]'" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: RE: MD "friends"

I always thought Platonic was used because we all know he was a philosopher, therefore a thinker, therefore this is love which relates to the head more than any other part of the body.  In other words - it's a get-out clause when someone just wants to be friends.  As someone who doesn't know Plato too well it's easy to come to that conclusion so I guess this one goes back to the old debate on defining languages - do we 'prescribe' correct usage, or 'describe' actual usage.