Language as a Way of Knowing
How would you try to explain to a blind person what the word RED means? What does this suggest to you about the limitations of definitions?
A blind person would have never seen the color RED before in his/her entire life. The color RED is bright and vibrant. It stands out of everything else and grabs your attention instantly. It is intense, powerful and filled with energy. With that being said, it does not fully describe the color. A blind person would be able to feel the color but still would not be able to visualize the color based on that description. This suggests that definitions of words are very limited and it is not as effective or advantageous for people who do not know the words as it is known to be. Describing how color looks like is hard because there are no words that is able to describe and express this sort of terminologies. Defining color requires our visual abilities because it is a matter of what we see. We do not "speak" color, we just see color. There are no words to express color because there is no point to talk about it, it just is what it is and nothing is going to change how color looks like. So the sad truth is, blind people are never going to fully experience the visuals of colors unless they are able to see again but they would still able to feel the emotion that the colors provide.
What would be the advantages and disadvantages of everyone in the world spoke a common language? What would be gained and what would be lost?
Having everyone in the world speaking the same language as everyone else has both ups and downs. For starters, everyone would be speaking the same language so everyone is able to talk and communicate with each other. Globalization would have instant benefits including the economy and trade within countries would be easier. You would no longer have to experience the burden of language barriers, obstacles you would face to interact with individuals who speak a different language. Humans would be able to further understand and corporate each other's ideas to resolve issues that are happening across the globe and creating the world a better place. Traveling to countries around the world would also be less hard so you would be able to simply learn a new culture. But wait, what culture? Yes, having everyone speaking in the same language means the loss of culture. Language plays a main role in the culture of different societies and if everyone speaks the same language, different and new cultures would no longer be as interesting as it used to be because it is no longer unique. Culture diversity is crucial in this world so that we would have a sense of uniqueness, exclusiveness and value and I can guarantee that the majority of people would not be willing to give that up.
A blind person would have never seen the color RED before in his/her entire life. The color RED is bright and vibrant. It stands out of everything else and grabs your attention instantly. It is intense, powerful and filled with energy. With that being said, it does not fully describe the color. A blind person would be able to feel the color but still would not be able to visualize the color based on that description. This suggests that definitions of words are very limited and it is not as effective or advantageous for people who do not know the words as it is known to be. Describing how color looks like is hard because there are no words that is able to describe and express this sort of terminologies. Defining color requires our visual abilities because it is a matter of what we see. We do not "speak" color, we just see color. There are no words to express color because there is no point to talk about it, it just is what it is and nothing is going to change how color looks like. So the sad truth is, blind people are never going to fully experience the visuals of colors unless they are able to see again but they would still able to feel the emotion that the colors provide.
What would be the advantages and disadvantages of everyone in the world spoke a common language? What would be gained and what would be lost?
Having everyone in the world speaking the same language as everyone else has both ups and downs. For starters, everyone would be speaking the same language so everyone is able to talk and communicate with each other. Globalization would have instant benefits including the economy and trade within countries would be easier. You would no longer have to experience the burden of language barriers, obstacles you would face to interact with individuals who speak a different language. Humans would be able to further understand and corporate each other's ideas to resolve issues that are happening across the globe and creating the world a better place. Traveling to countries around the world would also be less hard so you would be able to simply learn a new culture. But wait, what culture? Yes, having everyone speaking in the same language means the loss of culture. Language plays a main role in the culture of different societies and if everyone speaks the same language, different and new cultures would no longer be as interesting as it used to be because it is no longer unique. Culture diversity is crucial in this world so that we would have a sense of uniqueness, exclusiveness and value and I can guarantee that the majority of people would not be willing to give that up.
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