Tag: Language

Language as a Window into Human Nature

This talk by psychologist & linguist Steven Pinker dives into the arcane dimension of language as a window into Human nature. For Pinker, the brilliance of the mind lies in the way it uses just two processes to turn the finite building blocks of our language into infinite meanings. The first is metaphor: we take… Continue reading Language as a Window into Human Nature

I Know You Are Wondering

Recently, Cathay Pacific (I think!) opened a new route to Moscow and advertised “Fly to Moscow 3 times a week”. Do you REALLY want to fly to Moscow 3 times a week? Well, obviously not. When you read this sentence, your mind has to do some adjusting to get the real meaning: “Cathay Pacific has… Continue reading I Know You Are Wondering

Identification & Language

Alfred Korzyb­ski in “Sci­ence and San­ity” (1933) reflects on the verb “to be” and the process of iden­ti­fi­ca­tion. He used to train his students to avoid say­ing “I am”, ask­ing them “Is this all you think you are?”. Have you noticed when we are asked “who are you”, often, we say our name, and maybe… Continue reading Identification & Language