The relation between language and thought is central to linguistics. For the ancient Greek thinkers, logos refers to both thought—specifically, the ability of humans to think rationally—and language. As a result, symmetry is projected in the relation of the two, and language functions descriptively: it describes reality. A more modern view, on the other hand, proposes that language constrains thought and can be used to create reality. This presentation compares these two approaches and suggests that in the digital spaces, which are disembodied and lack the physical dimension of proof, there is a real risk of language itself taking up the space of reality. This shift bears in it the hallmark of deception and can become a Platonic cave that traps thought and produces increased normativity and inability to distinguish between sophistry and valid argument.
Session
Session 2
Location
Stuart Hall, Room 105
Presenters