Percentages and perchance: archaic forms in the twenty-first century

摘要: As sequel to an earlier paper on ordinal ranking, this focuses another old, but increasingly widespread, numerical expression, in both technical and public domains: namely, the percentage. It argues that long expanding genealogy of use, from descriptive governmental probabilistic, gives it persuasive as well instrumental power, people come grips with novel terms life by drawing old concepts. The ‘one hundred’ offers a sense understanding, while expressions, there appears be increasing vagueness specific nature one hundred denominator new potential for gesture towards aspirational future rather than any simple description present. second section engages Helen Verran's approach number, where she shows how expressions can move mode through possibility expressing one/many part/whole relationships. next illustrates applications per...