I think the bigger problem lies with those of you who assume that large words must really be a hollow attempt by a pretentious idiot to hide his insecurities. I used to cry "pretentious" too; the same cry I'd make when I met someone who studied philosophy. I could recognize the "philosophical person", who spoke through words of better thinkers and didn't seem to have an original thought of their own.
But I learned to differentiate between those who understood the words they were using and those who'd memorized phrases from a book (or words from a thesaurus). And I further realized that I was consoling myself with this word "pretentious", and I was using it to dismiss the possibility that someone knew more than I did.
Suddenly it became idiotic to me that I would reject these dialogues, because to do so was to reject growth and squander the cruel beauties of life - learning, being, expressing! I don't care if I'm not understood. The world is literal enough as it is. Language, like philosophy, is too intricate and beautiful a thing to waste on the literal.
But I learned to differentiate between those who understood the words they were using and those who'd memorized phrases from a book (or words from a thesaurus). And I further realized that I was consoling myself with this word "pretentious", and I was using it to dismiss the possibility that someone knew more than I did.
Suddenly it became idiotic to me that I would reject these dialogues, because to do so was to reject growth and squander the cruel beauties of life - learning, being, expressing! I don't care if I'm not understood. The world is literal enough as it is. Language, like philosophy, is too intricate and beautiful a thing to waste on the literal.