--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The term physical is just kinda like an…" description: "\"“The term physical is just kinda like an honorific word, kinda like the word 'real' when we say 'the real truth'. It doesn't add anything, it just says..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a0b/noam-chomsky-42_physical_the-term-physical-is-just-kinda-like-an_2983301.jpg" --- # The term physical is just kinda like an honorific word… ![“The term physical is just kinda like an honorific word, kinda like the word 'real' when we say 'the real truth'. It doesn't add anything, it just says 'this is serious truth'. So to say that something is 'physical' today just means 'you gotta take this seriously'.” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a0b/noam-chomsky-42_physical_the-term-physical-is-just-kinda-like-an_2983301.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a0b/noam-chomsky-42_physical_the-term-physical-is-just-kinda-like-an_2983301.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a0b/noam-chomsky-42_physical_the-term-physical-is-just-kinda-like-an_2983301.jpg) > ““The term physical is just kinda like an honorific word, kinda like the word 'real' when we say 'the real truth'. It doesn't add anything, it just says 'this is serious truth'. So to say that something is 'physical' today just means 'you gotta take this seriously'.”” [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Labeling something as “physical” is a rhetorical device that signals seriousness, not an intrinsic quality. **In simple terms:** Calling something physical stresses importance, not reality. Key Takeaway Use precise language to convey significance. Themes language semantics reality communication Mood analytical critical Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - academic discourse - media analysis - public speaking - critical thinking Key Concepts linguistics philosophy Questions to Reflect On - When do you use “physical” to stress a point? - How can you convey seriousness without vague terms? A Different Perspective Overreliance on labels can obscure true meaning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Physical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physical/) [Physical Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physical-just-389397/) [Physical Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physical-today-1960830/) [Physicalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physicalism/) [Say Physical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-physical-4650170/) [Term Physical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/term-physical-4650171/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [Let's just say I'm a physical guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-bernthal/let-s-just-say-i-m-a-physical-guy/) [Jon Bernthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-bernthal/) > [If I play against you the first time - or it doesn't even have to be the first time - and you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-embiid/if-i-play-against-you-the-first-time-or-it-doesn-t-even-have-to-be/) [Joel Embiid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-embiid/) > [The rules have changed so much from our days and the Heatu2019s days. It was more physical back then. Today you can run around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-rules-have-changed-so-much-from-our-days-and-the-heatu2019s-days/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You can't tap somebody in the helmet and say, 'Go be physical.' If you're not physical, you can't play physical, and that's a big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-bielema/you-can-t-tap-somebody-in-the-helmet-and-say-go-be-physical-if-you-re/) [Bret Bielema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-bielema/) > [With Djokovic, I will say the physical part. I think we are elastic guys, both of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-alcaraz/with-djokovic-i-will-say-the-physical-part-i-think-we-are-elastic/) [Carlos Alcaraz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-alcaraz/) > [“The only fully consistent alternative to belief in God, properly understood, is some version of “materialism” or “physicalism” or (to use the term most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bentley-hart/the-only-fully-consistent-alternative-to-belief-in-god-properly/) [David Bentley Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bentley-hart/) > [“The very use of the term "mental illness" (rather than, say, "neurosis", "insanity", "nervous breakdown", or other euphemisms) can be seen as an effort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-elliott/the-very-use-of-the-term-mental-illness-rather-than-say-neurosis/) [Carl Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-elliott/) > [In truth a clear-headed physicalist shouldn't be thinking any of these dualist thoughts. 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That's a good question, and there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-papineau/if-there-is-such-a-simple-argument-for-physicalism-how-come-everybody/) [David Papineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-papineau/) > [Some may find comfort in reflecting that the distinction between an eliminative and an explicative physicalism is unreal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-van-orman-quine/some-may-find-comfort-in-reflecting-that-the-distinction-between-an/) [Willard Van Orman Quine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-van-orman-quine/) > [Naturalism is a methodological rather than a metaphysical view. It's because I am a naturalist, actually, that I am sceptical about physicalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-crane/naturalism-is-a-methodological-rather-than-a-metaphysical-view-it-s/) [Tim Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-crane/) > [“My plate is full; I dig that. 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It was a very elaborate system, and clearly a massive social engineering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-social-and-physical-construction-of-suburban-america-really-was/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) ## More by Noam Chomsky > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [If you believe in democracy, why shouldn't you know what the government is doing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/if-you-believe-in-democracy-why-shouldn-t-you-know-what-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [It’s a shameful moment for U.S. media when it insists on being subservient to the grotesque propaganda agencies of a violent, aggressive state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/it-s-a-shameful-moment-for-u-s-media-when-it-insists-on-being/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There are questions as to whether it should even exist. 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Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/discovery-is-the-ability-to-be-puzzled-by-simple-things-noam-chomsky/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There's an interesting book about that called The Third Reich and the Ivory Tower, written by Stephen H. Norwood. It has a long discussion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-s-an-interesting-book-about-that-called-the-third-reich-and-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [This is class war on an international scale, and power is in the hands of those who control the international economic system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/this-is-class-war-on-an-international-scale-and-power-is-in-the-hands/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There are big, extremely irrational parts of the society, and they have now been mobilized politically by the Republican establishment, hoping that these people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-are-big-extremely-irrational-parts-of-the-society-and-they-have/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There's plenty to criticize about the mass media, but they are the source of regular information about a wide range of topics. You can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-s-plenty-to-criticize-about-the-mass-media-but-they-are-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The 50,000 Korean mercenaries we had in Vietnam were professional killers and just massacred people outright. And the American army did plenty of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-50-000-korean-mercenaries-we-had-in-vietnam-were-professional/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) [Explore all 2,129 Noam Chomsky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) ## More Physical quotes > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) > [Physical beauty is not everything, but the beauty is more careful than anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/physical-beauty-is-not-everything-but-the-beauty-is-more-careful-than/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Trying to find this industry's tendency to celebrate the physical is a waste of time. So I'm happy to play the game. But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-wilde/trying-to-find-this-industry-s-tendency-to-celebrate-the-physical-is/) [Olivia Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-wilde/) > [Nothing is more private than a woman's body; it is her physical, emotional, and moral citadel. She cannot be free at all if she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/nothing-is-more-private-than-a-woman-s-body-it-is-her-physical/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [That's what all art's about - a sense of moving away from boundaries that you can't in real life. Like a dancer is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bush/that-s-what-all-art-s-about-a-sense-of-moving-away-from-boundaries/) [Kate Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bush/) > [Electronic man has no physical body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/electronic-man-has-no-physical-body/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [I explained to him, however, that my nature was such that my physical needs often got in the way of my feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-explained-to-him-however-that-my-nature-was-such-that-my-physical/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [The power of digital distribution over physical retail outlets is you have a chance to create a global audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-hurley/the-power-of-digital-distribution-over-physical-retail-outlets-is-you/) [Chad Hurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-hurley/) > [“Leonardo believed his research had the potential to convert millions to a more spiritual life. Last year he categorically proved the existence of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/leonardo-believed-his-research-had-the-potential-to-convert-millions/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [To be physically fit is just a small aspect. You can be a beautiful physical specimen, but you're empty as far as what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-haney/to-be-physically-fit-is-just-a-small-aspect-you-can-be-a-beautiful/) [Lee Haney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-haney/) > [Physical love is total intimacy. It is the sign that the lovers have nothing to refuse each other, that they belong wholly to each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-leclercq/physical-love-is-total-intimacy-it-is-the-sign-that-the-lovers-have/) [Jacques Leclercq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-leclercq/) > [Baseball is ninety percent mental. The other half is physical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/baseball-is-ninety-percent-mental-the-other-half-is-physical/) [Yogi Berra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-berra/) > [Up to the 20th century, we can say that this whole period was an Earth epoch, 'Earth' meaning the riches of the earth, simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lech-walesa/up-to-the-20th-century-we-can-say-that-this-whole-period-was-an-earth/) [Lech Walesa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lech-walesa/) > [Very simply, our physical and spiritual safety lies in never even getting close to the line that separates light from dark, good from evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-l-dew/very-simply-our-physical-and-spiritual-safety-lies-in-never-even/) [Sheri L. Dew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-l-dew/) [Browse all 940 Physical quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physical/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The term physical is just kinda like an honorific word, kinda like the word 'real' when we say 'the real truth'. It doesn't add anything, it just says 'this is serious truth'. 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