On Sat, 24 Jun 1995, Michael McMaster wrote:
[snipped material concerning "clean" definitions from Scottish dictionary]
> Anything which is for the purpose of motivation should be suspect and
> talk of motivation is a signal that power, force and manipulation are
> being considered.
I wonder, Michael, if part of the problem of "motivation" comes from the
tendency to use it in reference to "another" rather than oneself. I most
often hear or read it in the context of "motivating" others or discussing
their lack of motivation. In these situations it is the sort of signal you
mention and one should be careful, indeed.
The problem may be related to the use of the term as if it were a
"thing"-- something that either does or does not reside in people and that
can be instilled in others through some means. That seems to me to be the
central distortion of the term since it is not a "thing" at all, but a
description of energy, attraction, and direction. One can be motivated
from within to engage in or accomplish any number of "purposes", but one
cannot be "motivated" from outside or for other's purposes...
Related words that come to mind with somewhat different implications are
"intention" and "inspiration". Are they more palatable or "cleaner" in the
context of your Scottish dictionary?
-- Tobin Quereau quereau@austin.cc.tx.us