Re: "Cipher"

[grand-central!amix!chip (Chip Morningstar -- "Software Without Moving Parts")]

Arthur Chandler writes:
>  Neil Postman, in his *Technopoly*, asserts that the word "cipher" derives
>ultimately from the Hindu word for void, and therefore "suggests the idea
>of nothingness." (p 128) Does anyone else have info on the origin of this
>word? Is Postman correct?

Postman may be right about his etymology; I don't know, though I'm sure one of
the many folks out there with an OED could answer this.  However, arguing from
etymology is one of the most irksome of the many bogus rhetorical techniques
that the academic establishment has developed as part of its standard toolkit
and really wish they would cut it out.  The answer to the broader question, "Is
Postman correct?", is "no".