Talk:Neology

Unbelievable
IMHO this article is in a state of word-stacking on bubkes. I prefer to dismiss it from my mind, because the almost meaningless word "neology" is confusingly loaded with perceived meaning. "Neology" means "something new to learn/study." Rursus dixit. ( m bork3 !) 14:38, 15 February 2014 (UTC)


 * BTW, I haven't found any source that proves that there actually exists any "neology". Rursus dixit. ( m bork3 !) 14:39, 15 February 2014 (UTC)

Examples of the use of the word "neology" in the 19th century can be found in the preface to Samuel Prideaux Tregelles's Heads of Hebrew Grammar, in which he says, "In recommending Hebrew grammars, I must of course give the first place to Gesenius: but I cannot mention him, or any of the other critics, tinctured with neology, without warning the learner, young and old, against the principles unhappily found in their writings. I endeavoured to do this in my translation of Gesenius's Hebrew Lexicon, by correcting the objectionable statements: and too careful the learner cannot be not to give heed to any of the suggestions which run counter to the Divine authority and inspiration of the Old and New Testaments. ... (long theological passage omitted) ... As the study of Hebrew evidently attracts increasing attention in this country, a warning against the deadening power of neology is, I believe, by no means out of place." NRPanikker (talk) 17:24, 5 May 2019 (UTC)


 * In most European languages, neologi etc. is the established term for a type of theology that was common in late 18th and early 19th century. It is a kind of deism. This sample you found NRPanikker probably relates to that. If it's rare in English, probably this school of theology usually is referred to simply as deism, or German deism, or something similar.
 * My guess is this article should be merged into neologism. --Hjordmån (talk) 08:30, 28 October 2019 (UTC)

Although ... look at the very first version of the article! It's the theology meaning of the word BUT I don't think the definition given is good. Britannica sounds more like it, in article Lutheranism: "... Lutheran theology subordinated revelation and declared reason to be the key to understanding the will of God. This sentiment, known as Neology, dominated Lutheranism in the second half of the 18th century. As a result, liberal and conservative wings began to form in the 19th century ..." I suggest either of the following Since there are plenty of info in articles on other Wikipedias on the subject I personally think that the first version would be better. --Hjordmån (talk) 12:14, 28 October 2019 (UTC)
 * creating a stub article from the Britannica content.
 * adding the Britannica info to another suitable article, like for instance Lutheranism. This page could then be made into a disambig, pointing to that page + neologism.


 * Of the iw links, the only one that seems to handle the same subject as this one is pl:neologia (I'm trusting Google translate here). The others are about the theological school of thought, that was in this articl's first versions, up to February 2014. It basically handled two different subjects on the same page, for a while. So maybe there should be two different articles. --Hjordmån (talk) 05:05, 29 October 2019 (UTC)


 * I doubt that Samuel Prideaux Tregelles, a Welshman, intended to combat a school of thought within the theology of Lutheranism, which has limited traction in his country. From the context, it is more likely that he was warning his readers against "new thinking," or "thinking for yourself:" a sentiment familiar to Wikipedians. NRPanikker (talk) 11:42, 29 October 2019 (UTC)


 * Anyway, Tregelles is hardly writing of the coining of new words, which is the topic of this article as defined by its initial paragraoh. Note that there is little contradiction beteeen the concepts of German rationalism, in theological context, and Lutheranism. The theological stuff probably needs its own article, to sort things out. As to coining of new words, this article lacks sources. --Hjordmån (talk) 02:28, 30 October 2019 (UTC)

German Wikipedia apparently considers neology a sub-species of rationalist theology. de:Theologischer Rationalismus --Hjordmån (talk) 19:06, 31 October 2019 (UTC)

Oxford English Dictionary
Since the main article currently gives a prominent place to dictionary definitions, I thought we should check with the Oxford English Dictionary, which is currently the largest for the language. We may not be able to copy the whole entry word-for-word, if its date of first publication is within the copyright period. There seem to be two main meanings. The first refers to the use of new words, and goes back to early in the 19th century: a subsidiary usage (in the plural form "neologies") is for new words themselves, the source for which is a late 17th century report of proceedings in the Scottish parliament. The second usage, also from the 19th century, refers to German innovations in Christian theology: I get the impression that the term was used by those who deplored them. The derivation offered by the OED is the French word "néologie." However, as I looked this up late at night, I have not yet put anything into the main article.

More generally, "neology" seems to be a word used from the outside looking in, as a term used to describe one form of heresy: most people do not think they themselves are heretics. It resembles "allopathy," the term coined by the first homoeopath, though in that case it was a "newthinker" who was parodying "oldthink." There is a similar expression in Sanskrit for abusing new ideas or arguments.

As the original commenter made clear, "neology" is an uncommon word nowadays: probably because what it describes is no longer new. "Neologism" is in commoner use by those who dislike new words, and is frequently used by psychiatrists and psychologists to describe a feature of schizophrenic speech. NRPanikker (talk) 17:01, 1 November 2019 (UTC)
 * Originally by those who deplored that theology, yes. Then the name of this theological "school" got established - at least in several other languages, see de:Neologie (that article also mentions it was originally a case of namecalling). See also da, fi, sv. --Hjordmån (talk) 13:24, 2 November 2019 (UTC)

Sources on the theology term
Book chapter. "Eighteenth-Century Neology" by Eric Carlsson, in "The Oxford Handbook of Early Modern Theology, 1600-1800". Abstract here I can get my hands on this book but maybe not very soon. --Hjordmån (talk) 13:48, 2 November 2019 (UTC)
 * Eric Carlsson gives an interesting historical account of the shift from theological dogma to lived experience in the history of religious instruction. It can also be read developmentally, as an account of stages in the growth of disbelief, with "neology" being an intermediate stage on the road from credulity to enlightenment. The abstract is understandably, rather "abstract:" perhaps an analogy could be drawn from the development of children's belief in the cargo cult of Santa Claus? Many children are taught to believe in the benevolent old chap who brings presents to good children; some are encouraged to send him a letter through the fireplace, or the postal system; many pay to see him at a local shop; some begin to doubt his existence, but taking Pascal's Wager still modify their behaviour to make sure he comes after they hang their sock up; but most end up not believing in him at all. Very few go to the fundamentalist extreme of being able to name all eight of his reindeer. NRPanikker (talk) 21:09, 2 November 2019 (UTC)

Term of Disparagement
As others have indicated, expressions imputing newness used to be disparaging. For Cicero to be a novus homo was not a mark of honour, nor was it for a family much later to be regarded as nouveau riche. In the 20th century, things were otherwise: the New Look in clothing was sought after, and Newspeak was imitated in political discourse. In our time anything with "neuro-," although the derivation is different, benefits from the same metaphysical glow: ordinary mumbo-jumbo is not esteemed half as much as Neurotwaddle. The 17th and 18th century origins of the term "neology," and its use by divines, point to its use as an term of disapprobation in the context of religion, even though terms coined in the 19th century such as neohegelian and neogrammarian were neutral as regards esteem. NRPanikker (talk) 22:03, 3 November 2019 (UTC)

Other meaning
In the film The Matrix Resurrections, there's a concept mentioned as "Neology".

For now I can tell it from memory

הראש (talk) 23:05, 11 November 2023 (UTC)