OP, enjoyed your post.
The fundamental point, for me, is a pragmatic one. Things are what we need or want them to be. All definitions depend on usefulness.
If I need to throw out some trash, that cylinder over there is a "trash can."
If I need to change a light bulb and the cylinder (turned over, supports my weight) allows me to reach the light, it is now a "step stool." Neither definition is more primary than the other except insofar as I take it more often than the other.
(I know many people who have converted various objects into "speaker stands." Those things are, in fact, now speaker stands.)
Everything is what it is taken AS. That fundamental pragmatic point includes "sound," "noise," "music," and even "trolls."
The hard part isn’t coming up with definitions. The hard part is negotiating about which ones we want to agree on.
The fundamental point, for me, is a pragmatic one. Things are what we need or want them to be. All definitions depend on usefulness.
If I need to throw out some trash, that cylinder over there is a "trash can."
If I need to change a light bulb and the cylinder (turned over, supports my weight) allows me to reach the light, it is now a "step stool." Neither definition is more primary than the other except insofar as I take it more often than the other.
(I know many people who have converted various objects into "speaker stands." Those things are, in fact, now speaker stands.)
Everything is what it is taken AS. That fundamental pragmatic point includes "sound," "noise," "music," and even "trolls."
The hard part isn’t coming up with definitions. The hard part is negotiating about which ones we want to agree on.