None the less, in today's common usage, it has lost that multifaceted meaning and the preferred language today is using the 3rd person as the gender neutral pronoun, or s/he or he/she.
That's the only point I was trying to make.
In your opinion. It matters to some people.
> it's fine to use whatever you want
Be aware that if you use the "he" form with some audiences, you will get a negative reaction. As to whether this is "fine" it depends on the purpose of your communication.
No they don't. "He" is from Proto-Germanic *hi- http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=he
And even if it was derived from that word, words change mening over time so the current meaning could be radically different from the ancient meaning. For example, "silly": http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=silly
> the preferred language today is using the 3rd person as the gender neutral pronoun
"he", "she", "it" and "they" are all 3rd person pronouns. I'm guessing you meant the 3rd person plural pronoun ("they").
The singular they is actually quite old, dating from the 15th century https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender-specific_and_gender-neu...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender-neutral_pronoun#Generic_...
I know "he" isn't the most common usage, but it is still acceptable (and is probably more common than you realize). I don't think it needs to be the common usage, and I have no problems with the other techniques for a gender neutral English pronoun. There's no offense, and no implied masculinity.
Why would I want to use this idiom? Because to my ears, and in my brain, the other usages don't feel right. They seem awkward and contrived, and break the flow of writing. It just bugs me - just like "he" seems to bug you. However, I don't go around telling people who use "they" or "he/she" that they should be using "he" - it's their choice, since it's their writing. I'd appreciate it if you'd grant the same courtesy.
Stated another, simpler, way: the same word can have different meanings depending on context. (The word "tie" means both a large, square, wooden pole used in railroad tracks and a decorative piece of men's formal attire). This is one example of that. "He" has two meanings: one masculine, one neuter. This is an example of the neuter usage, and doesn't have a masculine connotation.
It's important to realize that language isn't a fixed thing, that different people will use it differently, and that's okay. Different dialects exist, and that's okay. Different styles seem fluid or awkward to different writers, and that's okay. Chill out, it's not hurting anybody, and an overreaction like this isn't helping "women in programming" or "non-discrimination in language" or any other cause that you want to champion. I'm not stereotyping women, I'm not claiming the superiority of men, I'm not describing things in offensive or discriminatory terms. I'm using a pronoun. That's it. Sometimes a pronoun is just a pronoun.
You're not going to be able to fix every little thing that you consider sexist, because people are human. I absolutely advocate improving the situation, but I acknowledge that it will never be perfect. Perhaps your effort would be better spent arguing against actual sexism instead of leaping at every little thing that just might be discriminatory even when it's clearly not.
Language shapes thoughts. Correct language makes correct thoughts, incorrect language incorrect thoughts. Which is why most people still have problems with riddles like these http://www.somethinkodd.com/oddthinking/2005/06/21/the-docto....
Again, you seem to be missing the point. I'm not using non-gender-neutral pronouns. "He" is gender neutral, and there is plenty of evidence supporting that. I agree: gender neutral pronouns are important. They're necessary for using the language. "He" is one gender-neutral option among others. That's why it's use by the OP was perfectly acceptable.
I'm not sure why you think that riddle even resembles relevancy, but it doesn't. There's no incorrect language here, all there is an oversensitive overreaction to a normal , unoffensive, formal, well-used idiom. I immediately grasp that the doctor is the patient's mother. Using "he" is not going to change that.
Just give it a rest. You're getting pretty desperate at this point.
Here is the thing. If you can accept that "gay" as a derogatory term is incorrect, despite it being present in dictionaries then it's a small step to question other word usages in dictionaries. It allows you to think for yourself instead of just parroting "he is gender neutral" because you read it in a book.
> It allows you to think for yourself instead of just parroting "he is gender neutral" because you read it in a book.
That would be meaningful if English grammar was some kind of performance art. Instead, it's a fact that must be learned through study - yes, by reading books that detail what the rules of the grammar actually are. If the established grammar says that "he" can be a gender-neutral pronoun then it can be a gender neutral pronoun. It's not a matter of opinion. It's not up to you to be, like, independent of The Man's English, or whatever.