I shall call an argument I shall call the world

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suprunp

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This is a complete record of its [whale's] thought from the moment it began its life till the moment it ended it.
[...]
Calm down, get a grip now … oh! this is an interesting sensation, what is it? It’s a sort of … yawning, tingling sensation in my … my …well, I suppose I’d better start finding names for things if I want to make any headway in what for the sake of what I shall call an argument I shall call the world, so let’s call it my stomach.
(The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy; Douglas Adams)

Should I read the part in bold as follows:

'if I want to make any headway in what for the sake of what I shall call an argument that I shall call the world'

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5jj

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No.

For the sake of argument, (that is the word I shall use for this way of thinking) I shall use the word world for the thing in which, (if I want to make headway), I shall have to start finding names for things.
 

suprunp

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Thank you, fivejedjon!

Is it possible to put these commas in for the sake of what I shall call better understandability?

I suppose I’d better start finding names for things, if I want to make any headway, in what, for the sake of what I shall call an argument, I shall call the world, so let’s call it my stomach.

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5jj

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I suppose I’d better start finding names for things, if I want to make any headway, in what, for the sake of what I shall call an argument, I shall call the world, so let’s call it my stomach
What you have written is fine as far as it goes, though it needs something before it, if the last six words are to make sense; for example:

There is an interesting sensation in my .... Oh. What shall I call it?
 

suprunp

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I've got one small question.

Is it possible to view this sentence not in this way:
I suppose I’d better start finding names for things, if I want to make any headway, in what, for the sake of what I shall call an argument, I shall call the world
with the thought conveyed being - 'I'd better start finding names for things in the world if I want to make progress"

but in this one:

I suppose I’d better start finding names for things, if I want to make any headway[,] in what, for the sake of what I shall call an argument, I shall call the world

with the thought conveyed being - 'I'd better start finding names for things if I want to make progress in the world'

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5jj

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[You could argue that, but, as the sentence is pretty convoluted, I think that it would be safer to go for a re-write rather than use punctuation, if fine distinctions were intended.
 
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