Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Whitehead the Grammarian Enters A New Space

Grammarians believe that the language we use reflects the world like a mirror. The Book of Nature is the Original, The Book of Man is a Copy. The syntax of language is the syntax of the world. The same is true for vocabulary, grammar and the changes of the language over time (parallel evolution). All changes follow changes in the real world to maintain the usefulness of the language.

By studying all languages we get insight into the nature of the real world. When we discover new processes in the real world, such as sub-atomic realities, language must follow.  What do we see when we do not understand what we are looking at? When a disconnect between the two occurs, language loses its power. Re-establish the living relationship means regaining an essential balance, even though this means extending and adapting language. It is this leap of re-imagining our language as a broad experiential  vocabulary that Whitehead offers to us so that we may, once again, read the Book of Nature.

What is this?

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