What is success?

Suppose this question is asked of a group. Most will readily allow that there will be a significant variety in the responses. And yet, if the same question is asked of another noun, perhaps paper, this significant variety will no longer exist. How can this be?

The issue lies within the question. The term “is,” as unlikely as it may appear, is vague. More accurately, people do not adhere to a strict method of determining what a word “is,” especially in particular contexts. Though we may observe that inquiries concerning simple concrete objects such as water, air, and grass have a smaller set of responses, abstract, typically personal objects such as value, goodness, and respect possess a larger set of possible answers. Whenever these responses vary, however, they can typically be classified:

a) definitions described by authorities;

b) typically observed substitutions;

c) most appropriate usages; and

d) personal extensions of connotations.

The first class is exemplified through dictionaries and professionals. We may answer such questions by citing the Oxford Dictionary, for example, or a specialist in a field related to the definiendum. Works in education or that concern an issue which is related to the word will typically resort to this usage.

The second class exists as a replacement—a phrase which can be substituted for the word in its usage by man such that the intent of the entire sentence remains the same. When man is commonly described as having success, for example, he is very typically in possession of the means by which he lives, and comfortably so—such would be the answer to the initial question by this medium. When dictionaries engage in the addition of new words or the updating of existing ones, this is the typical method by which they do so.

The next class, by the author’s design, works to ensure a particular consistent definition among humanity. In this domain, success may be described as reaching significant wealth or status. This methodology is most common as a postulation or promulgation.

The final class serves to, by the author’s belief, extend the ideas of the term to other objects he believes are worthy; if a person of any notable status is asked, “What is success?” the answer may be “a family,” “doing what you love,” or perhaps “accomplishing your goals.” Success exists in the human subconscious as an element to be desired; it is heavily related to self-worth. To have success is to have value. This thought need not be explicitly ruminated upon—the mere subconscious understanding of the connotation of success leads the mind to compute the moral weight of the quality. As such, success may be defined not by climbing a ladder, or being elite; if this were the case, then a core element of human value would be reserved for a few. Desiring for people to be content with themselves, the definition of a term related to self-value, in this case success, must be relatable or achievable for a large portion of humanity. As such, the author may choose a definition which relates vaguely to the typical artifacts of the concept which satisfies this goal.

Inversely, the pattern is much similar:

The dictionary says she is successful;

most people would describe her as successful;

to determine the proportion of Americans who are successful, we will describe it as business ownership with a yearly revenue over $500,000;

you have created your own business—you are successful.

Though these statements have different meanings, in human interactions, they may all be expressed as “she is successful.” This lack of specificity, as can be imagined, is a common source of circumlocution in human discourse.

So how must these questions be answered? If it is asked, arbitrarily, “what is knowledge?” the first step is to accurately determine the nature of the question. Do we intend to predicate a strict and practical definition, or to capture the mental processes behind the conception of factual certainty? The failure to establish this scope will likely lead to endless and fruitless debate. After all, if no meaning of “is” is provided, how can any response be provably true? Would not every answer be just as correct as the next? This issue necessitates an explicit aim.

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