I mean, they’re clearly thinking about sweet versus not sweet. The discussion isn’t really about what a tomato is and isn’t, it’s about what the words mean and how they’re using them. There’s no doubt about what a tomato is. Everyone has a clear understanding about it. It’s just that people mean different things when they say it is/isn’t a fruit. People saying it isn’t a fruit say that because it isn’t sweet. Which is fine, there’s nothing wrong with that. But if they’re disagreeing that a tomato is the fruit of a tomato plant then they’re being foolish. And I don’t think anyone is saying that.
Whenever people are arguing about this it’s just so exhausting because they’ll hear something like “a tomato is a fruit” or that “all fruits are vegetables” and rather than try to seek understanding about how the other party is using the words they just dig their heels in and insist that’s wrong. When the whole reason they’re upset is because they’re picturing their own usage of the terms and imagining the other person saying a tomato is that.
Fruits are the reproductive organs of plants designed to be eaten by other animals in order to spread their seeds.
Right, the fruit of the plant is what we consider fruit.
You’d be surprised how little that definition helps when someone insists a tomato is not a fruit.
I mean, they’re clearly thinking about sweet versus not sweet. The discussion isn’t really about what a tomato is and isn’t, it’s about what the words mean and how they’re using them. There’s no doubt about what a tomato is. Everyone has a clear understanding about it. It’s just that people mean different things when they say it is/isn’t a fruit. People saying it isn’t a fruit say that because it isn’t sweet. Which is fine, there’s nothing wrong with that. But if they’re disagreeing that a tomato is the fruit of a tomato plant then they’re being foolish. And I don’t think anyone is saying that.
Whenever people are arguing about this it’s just so exhausting because they’ll hear something like “a tomato is a fruit” or that “all fruits are vegetables” and rather than try to seek understanding about how the other party is using the words they just dig their heels in and insist that’s wrong. When the whole reason they’re upset is because they’re picturing their own usage of the terms and imagining the other person saying a tomato is that.