What does this sentence from Star Trek: The Alternative Factor mean?
Jim, madness has no purpose … or reason … but it may have a
goal.
As far as I know purpose and goal are synonyms. How about this case?
Learn English – Difference between “purpose” and “goal”
meaningmeaning-in-contextsynonymstranslation
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I would recommend against using four times more in this context, although it would generally be understood to mean 40. What I would say is four times as many.
Googling four times more and four times as many, it seems that four times more is generally used with uncountable nouns, and four times as many with countable nouns.
four times more cancer-causing tar.
four times more carbon emissions.
versus
four times as many journalists
four times as many males.
four times as many films.
I won't do more than mention the confusing construction four times as many more, which I would recommend against using, as I think it's ambiguous.
UPDATE:
The grammatical rule is: use X times as many with countable nouns, and X times as much with uncountable nouns. The construction X times more is grammatical with both, but as many and as much are clearer in this context. Modifying adjectives, however, you should use four times more (or four times as):
four times more likely.
four times more prevalent.
four times more dangerous.
four times more effective.
First of all, I notice that most of these words are Latin-derived or French-derived, except for belittle. Whether a word is of Anglo-Saxon or Latin origin often determines its register (the level of formality it is associated with). Latin = more formal; Anglo-Saxon = less formal. The context in which they are used is also important. In everyday conversation, you can use the first four almost interchangeably, but if you were using them in writing, you might want to consider their etymology and context.
All quotes below are from the Online Etymology Dictionary.
disparage
late 14c., "degrade socially" (for marrying below rank or without proper ceremony), from Anglo-French and Old French desparagier (Modern French déparager) "reduce in rank, degrade, devalue, depreciate," originally "to marry unequally, marry to one of inferior condition or rank," and thus, by extension, to bring on oneself or one's family the disgrace or dishonor involved in this, from des- "away" (see dis-) + parage "rank, lineage" (see peer (n.)).
Also from late 14c. as "injure or dishonor by a comparison," especially by treating as equal or inferior to what is of less dignity, importance, or value. Sense of "belittle, undervalue, criticize or censure unjustly" is by 1530s. Related: Disparaged; disparaging; disparagingly.
belittle
1781, "to make small, reduce in proportion," from be- + little (v.); first recorded in writings of Thomas Jefferson (and probably coined by him), Jefferson used it in "Notes on the State of Virginia" to characterize the view promoted as scientific by French naturalist Georges-Louis Leclerc Buffon that American species (including humans) were naturally smaller than and inferior to European ones, which Jefferson was at pains to refute. ("So far the Count de Buffon has carried this new theory of the tendency of nature to belittle her productions on this side of the Atlantic.")
denigrate
1520s, "to sully or stain" (the reputation, character, etc.), from Latin denigratus, past participle of denigrare "to blacken; to defame," from de- "completely"
deprecate
This word is used in HTML to refer to an element which will be discontinued in the next version.
1620s, "to pray against or for deliverance from, pray the removal or deliverance from," from Latin deprecatus, past participle of deprecari "to pray (something) away," from de "away" (see de-) + precari "to pray" (from PIE root *prek- "to ask, entreat"). Meaning "to express disapproval, urge against" is from 1640s.
depreciate
This word is used in accounting to describe the expected decrease in value of an item over the years.
mid-15c., "to undervalue, under-rate," from Latin depretiatus, past participle of depretiare "to lower the price of, undervalue," from de "down" (see de-) + pretium "price" (see price (n.)). From 1640s in transitive sense of "lessen the value of, to lower in value." Intransitive sense of "to fall in value, become of less worth" is from 1790.
So actually they all mean something different and are used in different contexts.
Deprecate and depreciate are two different concepts and are not synonymous.
Best Answer
A goal is a concrete eventuality you're trying to accomplish, while purpose implies a broader, more abstract teleological drive. The speaker is basically saying that crazy people may be trying to do something, they just aren't doing it for a reason. Which is ridiculous, but sounds portentous when you formulate it bombastically enough.