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dtheriault · 09-24-2003, 02:09 AM

Okay so i was thinking about language and how it shapes humanity. Lacan and others talk about how language is constructed as a way for us to deal with the concept of loss and desire that haunts us and we become actualized.

What seperates us from animals is the complexity of our language/communication and our ability for metaphor and self-reflexive thought.

However, Buddhism, Zen and many other avenues to salvation speak of a constant need to erradicate desire. Hence salvation is not communicable through language.

So are we going about living all wrong?

1. Do we need to refine language until it can describe the undescribeable? (the problem with creating thinking AI.)

or

2. Is language getting in the way of man fulfilling his destiny or achieving true happiness?

09-24-2003, 02:09 AM	#1 (permalink)
dtheriault Psycho Location: maybe utah	Jacques Lacan-Language-Buddhism Okay so i was thinking about language and how it shapes humanity. Lacan and others talk about how language is constructed as a way for us to deal with the concept of loss and desire that haunts us and we become actualized. What seperates us from animals is the complexity of our language/communication and our ability for metaphor and self-reflexive thought. However, Buddhism, Zen and many other avenues to salvation speak of a constant need to erradicate desire. Hence salvation is not communicable through language. So are we going about living all wrong? 1. Do we need to refine language until it can describe the undescribeable? (the problem with creating thinking AI.) or 2. Is language getting in the way of man fulfilling his destiny or achieving true happiness? __________________ "Remember, it takes two to lie. One to lie and one to listen." -Homer Unless you are the freakin Highlander, what is the point in learning how to fight with a sword?