Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2023 February 19

= February 19 =

== Need source for Powerful Political/Manipulation/Strategy/Ploys preferably "Tactics" that sound like they would be applicable to many people's lives, even if it only seems that way through logical interpretation errors. ==

Ex. Reverse Psychology, Gaslighting, Scapegoating, Lying, Authority, Interrogation, Selling, Body Language and many more.

Only way I can think to categorize them is as "Tactics" Scanthony (talk) 07:50, 19 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Have you looked for any of those items here? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 10:15, 19 February 2023 (UTC)
 * We have an article on Crowd manipulation. Card Zero  (talk) 10:35, 19 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Persuasion tactics target social influence. See our article on persuasion, it includes propaganda, propaganda techniques, psychological warfare, torture, body language, sales techniques, logic, rhetoric, deception, seduction, traditions, the scientific method, manipulation (psychology), etc. Modocc (talk) 16:21, 19 February 2023 (UTC)


 * I am not sure I understand the question. Are you looking for scholarly texts on the general topic, or for terms used to describe it? Whose logical interpretation errors – ours, the authors', or the affected people's? --Lambiam 12:50, 20 February 2023 (UTC)

"One hundred and two thousandths"
In English, it is proper to read whole numbers like this: 102 is one hundred two. Decimals, such as 1.2, are read as "one and two tenths". Thus, "one hundred two thousandths" is .102, but "one hundred and two thousandths" is 100.002. Teachers teach their students not to use the word "and" in naming whole numbers, but in practice many people think it's okay. Why?? What would "one hundred and two thousandths" mean to most people?? Georgia guy (talk) 15:13, 19 February 2023 (UTC)


 * File:Dodie_Smith_101_Dalmatians_book_cover.jpg
 * You seem to have suggested a reason already: without this rule where "and" functions like a verbal decimal point, "one hundred and two thousandths" might mean 0.102. But note that this is only the custom in American English. Card Zero  (talk) 15:23, 19 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Card Zero, does this mean that Canadians always say "one hundred and two"?? Georgia guy (talk) 15:25, 19 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Yes, or "a hundred and two". That's the short answer without prevaricating about the word "always" (some of them say cent un or cent-et-un). Meanwhile, Americans are most likely in practice to say one-oh-two, I think. Card Zero  (talk) 15:37, 19 February 2023 (UTC)


 * Georgia_guy -- There's often a distinction in the spoken language. If "hundred and two" is pronounced closely together as a single phonological unit, i.e. "hundred-n-two thousandths", then 0.102 would be indicated, while if there's a slight but definite pause after "hundred", and the conjunction "and" is semi-stressed with the vowel of "cat" (not pronounced as a syllabic nasal), as in "hundred, and two thousandths", then 100.002 is indicated. AnonMoos (talk) 15:46, 19 February 2023 (UTC)


 * Does anyone actually pronounce "1.2" as "one and two tenths"? DuncanHill (talk) 16:00, 19 February 2023 (UTC)
 * One point two. And, I commonly say "one hundred two." DOR (ex-HK) (talk) 17:28, 19 February 2023 (UTC)
 * I myself, an ageing Brit, would do so in some contexts such as woodworking, particularly if talking to an even more aged Brit. Or I might say "one-and-a-fifth." In a scientific context and/or talking to someone markedly younger than me, I'd say "one point two" like DOR (HK), but I'd never say "one hundred two" in any circumstances. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 51.198.55.125 (talk) 02:27, 20 February 2023 (UTC)


 * In English, it is proper to be precise, with words and with numbers. If your phrasing lacks clarity, you need to improve the precision of the words you choose. I would not read "1.2" as anything other than a decimal, nor meet "one hundred two thousandths" with anything else other than a request for clarification. AirshipJungleman29 (talk) 01:10, 20 February 2023 (UTC)
 * In English, or any other language, it is "proper" to be as precise as is required in the circumstances. ColinFine (talk) 13:59, 20 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Precisely. AirshipJungleman29 (talk) 16:14, 20 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Order of magnitude also helps infer what is meant. Specifying something as 100 miles and (plus) 2 thousandths of a mile away seems a bit silly. "one hundred and two thousandths" would mean just over 1/10th to me. 41.23.55.195 (talk) 08:08, 20 February 2023 (UTC)