Monday, November 30, 2015

word choice - Which is more correct: "embodied by" or "embodied within"?



Which of the following seems more grammatically correct to you?





This subjectivity is embodied by the concept of qualia



This subjectivity is embodied within the concept of qualia




"Embodied within" seems to be more commonly used, but for some reason it doesn't sound quite right to me in this instance.


Answer



It depends on what you mean. Embody means either represent or make manifest an abstraction, like an idea or principle, i.e., literally to give a body, a concrete form to something:





The team embodies the spirit of winning.




Or transposed into the passive




The spirit of winning is embodied by the team.





Or it may mean to contain, as enclose within itself:




The country is adapting to the changes in national health insurance policy as embodied within the Affordable Care Act.



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