Definitions by Potatoviro

Good-Faith Conversation

It is an exchange in which participants are honestly intentioned (bona fides), behaviorally cooperative (Grice), hermeneutically generous (the Principle of Charity), epistemically open (Mill), structurally uncoerced (Habermas), and existentially authentic (Sartre). It is simultaneously a personal virtue—something a speaker must choose, moment by moment, to practice—and a social structure that institutions can either support or undermine.

It's hard to have a good-faith conversation with someone who has already decided they're right before you've said a word.

Good-Faith Conversation by Potatoviro June 4, 2026

Intraseptic

Someone who looks really attractive on the outside, but acts in a toxic, careless, or immature way

She seemed perfect at first, but once I got to know her, I realized she was intraseptic... beautiful on the outside but full of drama and bad decisions.

Intraseptic by Potatoviro May 5, 2026

stupid by association

The phenomenon where a person’s perceived intelligence or maturity level drops simply because they are hanging out with people who are foolish, reckless, or immature.

I know Dave is actually a rocket scientist, but since he’s been hanging out with those guys who tried to microwave a firework, he’s definitely becoming stupid by association.

stupid by association by Potatoviro May 4, 2026