<p>"It’s a matter of knowing your audience and adjusting your vocabulary accordingly.</p>
<p>It’s the smart thing to do. "</p>
<p>The audience here is quite diverse. The person who used “historicist” and “positivist” may not have been concerned to reach all of it. I mean really, whats the pay off in convincing a lot of strangers of the relative value of St John’s, or which are the 5 most intellectual schools? I mean sometimes we are here to ask and give practical info, and sometimes we making conversation. When making conversation, one can make it at whatever level one feels comfortable, without regard to the diversity of the audience.</p>
<p>I might have phrased it differently myself, but I see no problem with someone using the correct terms of art. Particularly ironic in this thread.</p>