OPTIONAL THEME:
KNOWLEDGE AND LANGUAGE
Calligraphy scroll by Li Po: Going Up To Sun Terrace by Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai. Palace Museum, Beijing.
CAN WE THINK WITHOUT LANGUAGE?
Language is an essential part of what is to be human. We label. We generalize. We remember. We imagine. Our fictive linguistic maps and language games provide a semblance of order out of chaos. We communicate in the fleeting moment and across the generations, by word of mouth and with written archives. We use language to configure power and submission; and to demonstrate individuality and conformity. We tell stories that enhance, as well as sabotage, our social interactions, whether in small tribes or vast nation states.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BLINK AND A WINK?
Does language permeate and configure all of the human psyche including the subconscious and even our dreams as we sleep? Is language so pervasive for the human experience that even the realm of abstract math and logic should be considered a mere artifact of language? What about music and other non-linguistic forms of representation? Could a painter paint or a dancer dance without language?
These and other generative questions can be explored in the following menu of class activities.
CLASS ACTIVITIES
Problem of definition: beef and cows
Try not to think of an elephant
Cow or beef?
Chairs continuum
Vagueness and fuzzy logic—in progress
Lumpers and splitters—in progress
Thinking about induction
Orwellian encounter
Invent your own (language) games
Games and sports
Invent your own game
Wittgenstein and family resemblances
Wittgenstein and the polysemy of language
Opinion and belief
Induction and deduction
Looking at syllogisms
Induction and continuity
Applying deductive and inductive reasoning to some real data
Falsification as the demarcation of science
Induction and deduction diagnostic quiz
A learned soviet psychologist converses with a stubborn Uzbek peasant
Informal logical fallacy
Recognizing the flawed logic
Thou shalt not commit logical fallacies
Monty Python witch scene
In praise of the poetic voice
Getting the hang of it entirely
Shakespeare’s Cleopatra beggaring description
Languages are disappearing at such an alarming rate that many have declared a global language extinction crisis. The Last Speakers: National Geographic. Sep 14, 2010.
KNOWLEDGE QUESTIONS
The new Theory of Knowledge Guide (2020) provides 385 Knowledge Questions for student exploration. Here are some personal favorites from the suggestions for knowledge and language.
SCOPE
Can all knowledge be expressed in words or symbols?
Is it possible to think or know without language?
Is it the case that if we cannot express something, we don’t know it?
To what extent does language allow us to make our private experiences public?
PERSPECTIVES
If a language dies, does knowledge die with it?
How do our values and assumptions influence the language in which we express our ideas?
Is ambiguity a shortcoming of language that must be eliminated, or can it also be seen as making a positive contribution to knowledge and knowing?
METHODS AND TOOLS
How are metaphors used in the construction of knowledge?
In what ways can language be used to influence, persuade or manipulate people’s emotions?
To what extent do the classification systems we use in the pursuit of knowledge affect the conclusions that we reach?
In what ways can language be used to influence, persuade or manipulate people’s emotions?
To what extent do the names and labels that we use help or hinder the acquisition of knowledge?
There was uproar the southern states, particularly Tamil Nadu, over a draft Indian National Education Policy that advocates for a three-language system and making Hindi compulsory in the non-Hindi speaking states,
Source; N Vinoth Kumar; TN welcomes revised NEP draft, but still bats for two languages. June 8 2019. The Federal.
ETHICS
How can we know if language is intended to deceive or manipulate us?
Do ethical statements simply convey our feelings/emotions rather than making claims?
If ethical terms and concepts cannot be easily defined, does this mean that they are meaningless?
CONNECTING TO THE CORE THEME
Do people from different linguistic or cultural backgrounds live, in some sense, in different worlds?
What are the implications if we do not produce knowledge in language that respects people’s preferred modes of self-identification?
Stela of the Gatekeeper Maati. ca. 2051–2030 B.C. Maati is shown seated in front of an offering table with a jar for inhaling a sacred oil in his left hand. The text on this masterpiece of early Middle Kingdom relief art contains references to prominent figures of the time.
On view in Gallery #104 at the The Met 150, Fifth Avenue, New York. Visit the site to enjoy a revelatory one minute audio.