Does Language Hinder Our Progress? (verse)

mball1297 · #1 05-13-2008, 09:39 AM

I love languages, and have studied many of them, along with linguistics. They are a great tool to communicate with each other. I've been wondering, though, whether the use of arbitrary symbols like words hinders our process of understanding the universe, or at least narrows it down. It seems to foster the process of mistaking signs for things signified, and promotes a superficial understanding of everything. Does it ever really allow us to break free from its grip?

Just wanted to get some thoughts and ideas. I don't see this as so much a debate as a discussion of ideas, but I thought it might be prudent to place it in the debate section.

Wandered Off · #2 05-13-2008, 09:51 AM

Perhaps it does, but any hindrance is vastly outweighed by its immense help, IMO. Without it we couldn't communicate and learn or know that other perspectives exist. I don't think we can "break free of its grip" because symbols are how we process information, language or not.

mball1297 · #3 05-13-2008, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wandered Off

Perhaps it does, but any hindrance is vastly outweighed by its immense help, IMO. Without it we couldn't communicate and learn or know that other perspectives exist. I don't think we can "break free of its grip" because symbols are how we process information, language or not.

So, you would classify it as a necessary evil, or maybe a "necessary not-so-evil"?

Wandered Off · #4 05-13-2008, 09:54 AM

Design flaw.

angellous_evangellous · #5 05-13-2008, 10:02 AM

If we didn't have to use symbols to communicate understanding to ourselves and others, then we would either be useless slugs (understanding nothing) or gods (understanding everything).

mball1297 · #6 05-13-2008, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by angellous_evangellous

If we didn't have to use symbols to communicate understanding to ourselves and others, then we would either be useless slugs or gods.

Aren't we both of those things already?

angellous_evangellous · #7 05-13-2008, 10:08 AM

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Originally Posted by mball1297

Aren't we both of those things already?

Personally I have met niether.

angellous_evangellous · #8 05-13-2008, 10:09 AM

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Originally Posted by angellous_evangellous

Personally I have met niether.

Though I have met some remarkably stupid worms and impressively intelligent people...

Bishadi · #9 05-13-2008, 10:10 AM

Quote:

I

Quote:

love languages, and have studied many of them, along with linguistics. They are a great tool to communicate with each other. I've been wondering, though, whether the use of arbitrary symbols like words hinders our process of understanding the universe, or at least narrows it down. It seems to foster the process of mistaking signs for things signified, and promotes a superficial understanding of everything. Does it ever really allow us to break free from its grip?

Often a religion is represented in various cultural languages; hence the diversity of sects.

Since the collective of mankind is fairly compassionate and of similar Love for life itself, then to assume that each form of representations for existence and God, are mostly likely sharing quite the similar material knowledge; yet the differences are based in culture and language.

So as one religion such as Christianity is compared with say Islamic beliefs, it is easy to see the foundations are quite similar, the progression is quite similar, the representation of a unifying God is similar but the cultural differences and words to convey (language) are quite different.

Not that God chose between one or the other, but that man (creator of words) shared their opinions of the same existence or beliefs.

Still the unifying cause or reality is life itself in which no matter who the person is, life and existence (God) is still uniform to each individual (consciousness).

So the error are not based on the compassionate representations of God (the religions) but the cultural differences included into the representations (each style of bible/torah/quran/etc..)

This means that within each, no matter where the culture is based, each have good and quality contributions to learn from for pure wisdom (knowledge). Where to be quite skeptical is in the warrants and rituals required as these again are created by men. And always keep the skeptic hat on firmly when a representation must lean on magic, omnipotence or any idea that sins or atrocities a person can impose will be undone. AS to observe reality in true, everyone knows that magic and 'undoing' something is impossible. Never saw a dead man walk. So until that occurs in front of me, it is a lie. Meaning since many want and wish for magic and mirracles, every person alive can admit; not a once has one occurred in real time (right now) that has ever really occurred.

Why because magic does not exist and it is mankind that has written the words that suggest it, but never in existence has any ever witnessed it, in truth!

Keep the true premise in focus; ‘mankind created all words!’

Man created all lies.

Evil exists because of the choices of man.

and finally;

the truth is absolute!