Paul Burke, above, refers implicitly to a problem I have noted many times.....the use of equivociation or related logical fallicies to defend a position.

In order for a claim to even be considered, it needs to avoid errors such as Paul mentions where words are used ambiguously.

I started trying to make this point way back when people were tossing the word 'folk' into their defense of eclecticism in music, and trying to make the word refer to anything THEY liked.

I use the words 'spirit' and 'soul' in my personal discourse at times, as ways to express attitude & emotion, but I am perfectly aware that I am using them in poetic or metaphorical contexts....NOT as representations that there are some sort of 'actual entities' out there as referents.

An awful lot of this discussion would be eased if 'folk' would clarify exactly what they are claiming.