Re: linguistic theories (grammar, language) Dawnstorm
I agree, no truth is conceivable outside a specific context which defines it. The existence of dragons is true in, say, the context of myths or fairy tales.
Reality is undoubtedly context-dependent. But reality is also boundless. What I said about imagination has nothing to do with the objective existence of dragons, or chairs, or trees for that matter. What I meant is simply that one can broaden one's perspective on situations and contexts, and the trigger for this is imagination. Inside a certain context, one can wander off the context's limitations, by imagining something which upon first consideration does not stand to reason, and proceed to make the application of his imagination both possible and fruitful. This takes both courage and of course, critical reflection. This is how hunches or hypotheses ,which transgress the boundaries of a specific context, come into being. The way language is pregnant (with itself,or rather with shades of meanings), is the way context-specific truths are pregnant with truths. Einstein's relativity theory is about reaching beyond specific contexts in search for new perspectives, contexts and truths.
As to the brain versus experiencing void, what do you think about the possibility of the brain re-inventing itself to cope with the lack of experience,or external stimuli? Since there have been experiments made on the brain in void environments, not only with prisoners but also with astronauts, who experienced going awry, hearing voices and so on. How would you explain that? In conclusion, I believe we see things from different angles, but I think both angles are relevant to the topic. There can be misunderstandings, and the topic is complex. That's why I mentioned previously that I need to learn to express myself a little better.
Last edited by bianca; 20-Aug-2007 at 11:49.
|