
Exception That Proves the Rule - godelmachine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exception_that_proves_the_rule
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lokedhs
I figured out the proper meaning of the expression only a few years back.
Before then, I was incredibly frustrated at it, not understanding how anyone
could come up with such a ridiculous expression.

Now I know it's just people repeating a saying without understanding what it
means. I'm not sure if I feel any better about its use.

~~~
sparky_z
I think a better (and more charitable) way to put that is that the meaning of
the phrase has changed over time. Just because a certain sequence of works has
one meaning in the context of ancient Roman jurisprudence doesn't mean that it
can't have another meaning in modern slang.

Incidentally, that's why I think the common usage of the phrase "begging the
question" isn't the "mistake" that a lot of people love to pounce on. It's a
phrase that makes perfect sense on its own, outside the context of formal
logical debate. And I say that as someone who's usually a prescriptivist
pedant about grammatical rules.

