We discussed generic nouns that encompass an ideal without explaining it. Consider the JFK speech - remember words like "freedom" etc?
We acknowledged that JFK did this to establish a commonplace with his audience and to be more inclusive.
Had he stopped to define the term, he would have used distinctio. (For example ... By freedom, I mean the right for every citizen to practice his or her beliefs without persecution so long as no other person is injured.)
When is distinctio useful, in your opinion, and when would it be detrimental?
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