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SuperESL Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

Invest in

Hi,

"While it is unlikely that Mr. Rumsfeld would describe himself as a postmodernist, he does seem to be invested in the obscurity of truth and the indeterminacy of meaning, and to believe that what we know is constructed by language rather than reflected in it."

How should I understand the phrase "be invested in" in this context?

I've looked through the list of definitions at Oxford online dictionary and none of them seems to fit precisely:
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/invest?q=invest+in

Thank you.
  

Top answer

be strongly committed to, believe strongly in. You might think of it as 'he has invested his reputation and credibility in . '.

— Clive

  • be strongly committed to, believe strongly in.
  • You might think of it as 'he has invested his reputation and credibility in .
  • '.
  • Clive
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6 Answers
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be strongly committed to, believe strongly in.

You might think of it as 'he has invested his reputation and credibility in . . .'.

Clive
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Thank you.

Do these examples work?

"He is strongly invested in a christian life of charity." (committed to)
"He is invested in the existence of a supreme being." (believe in)

Thanks.
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Yes.

Part of the idea is that you will lose something (eg credibility, confidence, faith) if you are mistaken.
'He is invested in the existence of the Easter Bunny' does not ring true, because it sounds like there is nothing serious at stake.

Clive
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Thank you.

But then "He is invested in ***" (strongly believe in) for some reason doesn't sound right. It seems that "He is invested in the existence of ***" is better. Or perhaps both are okay?

Thanks
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Both seem acceptable, although I prefer #2.
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