Is your language holding you back????

[netdog]

The only prison language creates that I can see is the limits language places on communicating your mind to others.

I don't think in language, I think in feelings and shapes, mathematics and even three dimensions easily.

I cannot however communicate that fully with language, enough to allow another to truly know my thoughts.

So in a way we are each in our own little prison of sorts you could say. Some people more than others. Without language and other forms of communication we use we would be in solitary confinement.

netdog Reviewed by netdog on 05-04-2008. Is your language holding you back???? Jacque Derrida says we create a prison with our language. He calls this prison the "Western Metaphysic" or 'phono-logocentrism' "The problem is, he says, is that we in the West are trapped by the voice. Trapped by our alphabetic writing which follows the voice. The voice is linear, in his view: there is only one thing happening at a time, a sequence of phonemes. On a larger scale, the unidimensional march of the voice is replicated in our linear view of history, what Derrida calls 'the epic Rating: 5

[Alexico]

The only prison language creates that I can see is the limits language places on communicating your mind to others.

I don't think in language, I think in feelings and shapes, mathematics and even three dimensions easily.

I cannot however communicate that fully with language, enough to allow another to truly know my thoughts.

So in a way we are each in our own little prison of sorts you could say. Some people more than others. Without language and other forms of communication we use we would be in solitary confinement.

It's always funny when i'm with some high freinds and once and awhile one isnt, and dont talk in full sentences because we all just understand without using many words. Then the sober guy is never understanding shit, like wtf are you talking about, then everyone else is like i understand.

[SFGurrilla]

Yea i agree to a certain point

[L Rag]

Yeah but you hit a problem when you think of the alternative. What do you propose we do about it? It's all good 2 say we are being held back by language, but unless you can find a better alternative, it's kinda pointless

[nacci11235]

Derrida was a badass. Didn't he just die like a couple of years ago? Anyways, communication without verbal language. Telepathy, maybe? Other than that, I can't really think of a way. Here's an interesting question, though. Are stimuli necessary for thoughts to occur? In other words, do I need to experience something in order to think? If so, that's a pretty strong argument for determinism, isn't it? In order to have free will, it seems, we would need to have original thought.