Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ Language and thought

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community
Does language influence thought, and does the way we speak influence the way we think? Well, yes, obviously. But that's because the way we do anything influences the way we think. Anything else that we did as much as we read, listen and speak would influence us as much. Photography, for example - being a habitual photographer has changed the way I look and landscapes and street scenes. I literally see them, and think about them, differently. The real question is, "Can we think of an object, or a concept if we don't know the words to use for such?" i don't know, maybe if you hum the tune I'll pick it up. There is, in my view, nothing special about language in thought except for volume. You can think in images, you can think in musical arrangements, you can think in vague formless flow charts.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Apr 24, 2024 12:57 a.m.

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