Saturday, July 09, 2011

Word of the day: obiter dictum

The word of the day is obiter dictum:

< classical Latin obiter dictum something said by the way

An incidental statement or remark; something said by the way. Freq. (Law): an opinion expressed by a judge in discussing a point of law or in giving a judgment, which is not essential to the decision, and which therefore lacks binding authority.  (OED)



"There is something delightfully counterintuitive about Florida's theory as he chooses to state it: you would have thought it was dull Babbitts who made a city commercially successful, but no - it's kids with scruffy beards and tattoos who have alt-rock bands, script iPhone apps, and wait tables in vegan restaurants.

"What's the connection between them and prosperity?  (Their parents are probably asking the same question.)  They generate an atmosphere of cultural richness and innovation that attracts more obviously productive types, who have lots of choices about where to live and will pick places that they find exciting and attractive.  (Florida's best-known obiter dictum is that the more gay-friendly a city is the better it will do economically.)"

 - Nicholas Lemann, "Get out of town: Has the celebration of cities gone too far?", 27 June 2011 The New Yorker

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