Hope is all we have.(Image copyright (c) 2007 Adrian North Photography)
28 September 2007
On Communicating 1
One thing that has fascinated me for a long time is the whole area surrounding communication and language. We are, after all, as a species compulsive communicators. We may not be (and are most likely not to be) the only species that communicates but we do do it rather a lot. The questions I have about this include: Why do we communicate? How did this communication originate? How did language originate? Where did languages diverge from each other? Why are there similarities and differences between certain human languages?
I know there are minds greater than mine pondering these questions and that I can only, of necessity, study them on a somewhat simplistic level. Indeed I do not even pretend to have any answers. I do, however, have some thoughts which I will lay out in the coming weeks. However let me initially look at the first question: "Why do we communicate?"
If the reason were only to get what we want then any communications would simply be a series of negotiations. I have tried to analyse my communications recently and whilst there are a lot of communications that do fall under this category there are some that don't. As an example: I see a man walking under a ladder when a workman above drops a brick. I shout to warn the person. That is communication but, as far as I can see, was not communication that gains me anything but it is communication nonetheless. So either there is more than one reason why we communicate or there is a deeper, more fundamental reason. My own personal feeling (and this is just a feeling. I have, as yet, no objective foundation for it) is that there is a more fundamental reason. I think it will be useful to investigate this in depth. Who knows maybe a universal truth lies hidden at the heart of the question. Communication is, after all, something that binds all humanity together. It is what we all have in common.
I know there are minds greater than mine pondering these questions and that I can only, of necessity, study them on a somewhat simplistic level. Indeed I do not even pretend to have any answers. I do, however, have some thoughts which I will lay out in the coming weeks. However let me initially look at the first question: "Why do we communicate?"
If the reason were only to get what we want then any communications would simply be a series of negotiations. I have tried to analyse my communications recently and whilst there are a lot of communications that do fall under this category there are some that don't. As an example: I see a man walking under a ladder when a workman above drops a brick. I shout to warn the person. That is communication but, as far as I can see, was not communication that gains me anything but it is communication nonetheless. So either there is more than one reason why we communicate or there is a deeper, more fundamental reason. My own personal feeling (and this is just a feeling. I have, as yet, no objective foundation for it) is that there is a more fundamental reason. I think it will be useful to investigate this in depth. Who knows maybe a universal truth lies hidden at the heart of the question. Communication is, after all, something that binds all humanity together. It is what we all have in common.
26 September 2007
Time Passing
Oh dear it seems such a long time since I posted anything here. OK, it is such a long time since I posted anything here. I really must get my life sorted out. Anyway I'm back! And I have a whole new series of questions that I need answering. I hope you're ready for it.
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