So I was driving somewhere with my five-year-old son on Saturday night. The car paused at a stoplight long enough for him to look out the window at a large crowd of people, dressed for dancing and waiting for a tram to the city. Most were female, which caused my son to remark: “There are lots of women there.” And then, after a short pause: “And only one human.”
“Only one human?” I asked, guessing what he meant but wanting to make sure.
“Only one human – that guy,” he pointed.
“Only one man, you mean.”
“Only one human,” he insisted.
“No – the women are human too,” I found myself wondering how, exactly, I ended up needing to defend this point.
“No they aren’t!” he said in the tone he usually uses when I’m saying something deliberately absurd.
“Yes they are. ‘Human’ includes both men and women – it’s a bigger term than either.”
“Noooo…” he said, sceptical.
“Yes!” I said, with attempted enthusiasm.
He gave me a “taking it under advisement” look, but seems, on the whole, to remain unconvinced…
Rough Theory 