this post was submitted on 19 Oct 2024
346 points (93.5% liked)

Showerthoughts

30035 readers
716 users here now

A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. A showerthought should offer a unique perspective on an ordinary part of life.

Rules

  1. All posts must be showerthoughts
  2. The entire showerthought must be in the title
  3. Avoid politics
    • 3.1) NEW RULE as of 5 Nov 2024, trying it out
    • 3.2) Political posts often end up being circle jerks (not offering unique perspective) or enflaming (too much work for mods).
    • 3.3) Try c/politicaldiscussion, volunteer as a mod here, or start your own community.
  4. Posts must be original/unique
  5. Adhere to Lemmy's Code of Conduct

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] 59 points 2 months ago (4 children)

“apple” used to be a generic term for fruit.

Oh, that explains the myth that Adam and Eve at an apple, when a specific fruit is never mentioned.

https://www.etymonline.com/word/apple

[–] [email protected] 15 points 2 months ago

That's a bingo.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 months ago (1 children)

It also explain why we here in the Nordics call oranges "appelsin", as in a "Chinese apple".

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago

Same in Dutch: sinaasappel

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Great! Can't have myths about random fruit in this otherwise totally valid, reasonable and trustworthy story about a woman that was made from a man's rib and talked to reptiles.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

If a narrative is not literally true, does that mean it has no truth value?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

What is "truth value" supposed to mean?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Sorry, I wasn't explaining myself well.

Just because a story isn't factually true, doesn't mean that it has no value, or negative value. There are other types of values which can supersede factual value:

  • aesthetic
  • symbolic
  • ethical
  • didactic

Truth isn't always about facts. Sometimes factual statements can be used as a weapon of deceit.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

There are other types of value, of course. It's just funny to specifically call the apple out for being a myth. The entire story is a myth, so they could have made it a pomelo for all I care.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago (2 children)

But… we’re talking French and Adam and Eve was written in Hebrew. Is it the same for Hebrew?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Hebrew used a generic word for fruit, all languages translated that word as their version of apple which was generic at the time, and then much later, all languages changed the meaning of their word for apple, it's not specific to French. The use of apple for one specific fruit is fairly recent - more recent than the King James Bible, even.

I don't know what the word in Hebrew is and if it also changed its meaning since then, though.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

Literally yes, ground apple is potato in hebrew