Language Sucks

Therefore so do we

In general, the purpose of this blog is to get at Truth, and to explore the path(s) that may lead us to it. But I would be remiss if I did not address the invisible elephant in the room first. And, because your powers of deductive reasoning are immense, I’m sure you guessed what elephant I am speaking of. The undeniable fact that Language Sucks.

An Elegant Treatise on Why Language Sucks

Many orators, writers, poets, etc. have expertly wielded the tool of language throughout the millennia that humans have existed. The precise and sophisticated use of language can not only communicate complicated ideas across space and time, but it can also literally modify our minds in real time. It can change our emotions, our thinking, and our entire perception of reality. Language has started and ended wars. It is used to both build up and destroy entire swaths of society time and time again. It can elucidate intent, and entirely disguise it. In the hands of a skilled practitioner, language is beautiful, creative, horrible, and destructive. Language can be nearly unbridled power.

Language is woefully inadequate for the task of Truth-seeking.

First, we all speak and write in absolutes to attempt to describe truths that we cannot actually know absolutely. I’m literally writing using absolute statements right now. Any agreement or counterargument that anyone might put forward will also use absolute language. This is here, that is there, this is why, etc. etc. All of it is nonsense baby babble in the grand scope of any actual absolute Truth.

The structure of the spoken and written word dictates that we communicate- and often think- in absolutes about ideas that we ourselves do not believe to be absolute! Everything I’m writing here is an attempt to communicate an idea, without really knowing whether it is even in the general direction of an absolute Truth. Yet, I’m constantly making declarative statements, citing specific examples, etc., all in a desperate attempt to translate the loose and ever-changing ideas in my head. To put it simply, language is a paradox: it is simultaneously our only real tool to seek clarity, and our primary source of constant confusion and misunderstanding.

Worse still, the language we use is often a very poor proxy for our actual thoughts. It is a translation at best, and many, many, MANY things are lost in that translation. Consider someone that you love dearly- a spouse, child, sibling, parent, grandparent, friend, you name it- and now consider the task of writing a book that completely describes how you feel about them. The full depth of your felt sense around this person. How long would it take? Would you even be able to begin, or would you spend years struggling to find the “right words?” Most importantly, even if you thought you were successful in finding the words, would a random person who reads that book ever actually understand the depth of emotion you’re trying to convey? Consider all the art, books, and poetry written on the topic of love; they might be able to evoke the feeling of love, but are they accurately describing it? Has any poem ever brought a person who has never experienced love to a full understanding of the depth and many shades of the emotion?

But emotion is complicated, right? We barely even understand it ourselves. Maybe we simply haven’t developed an adequate understanding to properly describe it. Okay then, rather than trying to translate your emotions, instead take this same person and this time just write a book describing them. All of their traits. Their physical attributes, their movements, facial tics, everything you know. We are talking about a person that may be able complete your sentences and you theirs. Do you think you could ever write anything that would allow another human to have the same understanding of that person as you do? Will they know how to interpret their micro expressions as you do? Are you even conscious of these expressions enough to accurately describe them in the first place?

Not to mention, we are only talking about your perception of this person in this specific moment. Next week it will likely be different, even if only slightly.

The point of all this is to say that there are aspects of our personal perspective truths- not even big absolute Truths- that are very poorly translated into words. Yet, we constantly take what people say to be an accurate depiction of what they actually think. Forget deception, misdirection, or “misinformation,” we are talking about a 100% honest and genuine person trying to communicate to you directly what’s inside their head and almost certainly failing at the task. Language is clumsy and incapable in the realms of complex perspective truths of which emotion, personality, and perception are a few of many. An actual absolute Truth is infinitely more complex. It is not just a complex problem; it is a complex problem, of complex problems, within complex problems.

Don’t Worry, Dragons Are the Answer

So, let’s explore the counterfactual. A world where thought and emotion are expressed, and fully understood. To do this we will need to step briefly into the world of fantasy. And no, we are not going to be delving into some great classical novel that explores the nature of truth. Instead, we’re going to the real source: children’s books. Why? Because it’s nostalgic for the author, and because quite frankly most profound truths come from humble places; we are all just too arrogant and ignorant to see it most of the time.

Thus enters the story of Eragon (the book series, not the movie. Don’t watch the movie, it will damage your soul). More specifically, we are looking at the final battle towards the end of the fourth book Inheritance. The scene is simple. Eragon and Co. show up to stop the super powerful dragon rider King (Galbatorix) who is hell bent on controlling everything and has tormented and enslaved thousands in the process- dragons, dwarves, elves, and humans. Unfortunately for Eragon, the King has a nasty trick up his sleeve. He has discovered the true name of the language of magic, and with this knowledge he casts a spell that strips everyone’s ability to use the language to cast magic. Everyone is suddenly powerless. Oh no…but wait! Eragon has a trick as well. He realizes that Galbatorix doesn’t seem to know that magic can be cast without language. Yes, the language is used to focus the thoughts and intent behind the magic, but focused thought alone is enough to cast a spell (although it is substantially more dangerous to oneself if you lose your focus while casting). Eragon knows that his magical strength is not enough to overpower the King, so with his mind he casts the most powerful spell of all…..Feelings.

Yes, feelings.

This is where, as a teenage boy, I said “Really, your secret attack is to express your feelings?” And then I found out three chapters later that he didn’t even get the hot elf girl in the end either, at which point I was like” Gah, this ending sucks, I’m going back to Harry Potter. At least he got laid at the end.”

But seriously, this is the actual excerpt from the casting of the spell:

“It was a spell without words…and no words could have described what Eragon wanted, nor what he felt. A library of books would have been insufficient to the task. His was a spell of instinct and emotion; language could not contain it. What he wanted was both simple and complex: he wanted Galbatorix to understand …The spell was not an attack; it was an attempt to communicate. If Eragon was going to spend the rest of his life as a slave to the king, then he wanted Galbatorix to comprehend what he had done, fully and completely.”

Then, his allies- dragons, elves, and humans alike- connected to the spell and poured their own experiences and emotions into it. The combined effort created a spell that would “compel [the King] to experience all the feelings, both good and bad, that he had aroused in others since the day he had been born.” Galbatorix struggled against the spell at first, then begged to be released from it. When they would not relent, he cast one last spell, “Waise neiat!….Be not,” and was disintegrated “in a flash of light brighter than the sun.”

So, what’s the moral here. First, make sure you complete all the lessons at elf magic school so you don’t get hit by a sneaky thought based magic spell right when you think you have everything under control. Second, when it comes to conveying an idea, to expressing an emotion, to communicating, language is actually an impediment. It was the absence of language- and an understanding of his personal weakness- that drove Eragon to find a more effective means of communication. It was only then that the king could fully comprehend why they were willing to die to stop him.

A Little Humility Goes a Long Way

Unfortunately, we don’t have the ability to soul-bond with dragons, nor the ability to directly download our thoughts into another via mind magic. So, to summarize: we suck, language sucks, and we consistently fail at understanding language even when it doesn’t suck. The point of this tirade is to make a connection to the fact that we all need to take a massive humility pill if we are at all interested in pursuing the truth about anything. The most sophisticated tool we have for communication is, at best, incomplete, inaccurate, misinterpreted, misused, and abused. The more complex the context of the discussion, the more guarantee there is for errors. We can, of course, throw up our hands and have an impudent, nihilistic, pity party, OR we can simply recognize that we are flawed people using a flawed tool and find work arounds to better achieve our end goal (i.e. Truth). Afterall, humans are physically incapable of flying, but that didn’t exactly stop us, did it?

So, what are the tools and workarounds? How do we build the metaphorical airplane that allows us to bypass our physical and mental limitations for truly effective communication? How do we engage in the type of collective communication that allows us to move towards Truth. Do we just wait until technology like Neuralink is perfected and we have direct mind to mind communication? This seems a little far into the distant future, and my bet is on us bombing ourselves into oblivion first.

Technically, we already have various proven strategies for the effective mediation of ideas, debate, and critical inquiry; but how do we accomplish this at scale to help resolve larger societal and global issues? On an individual or small group level, a recursive back and forth form of communication often results in individuals coming to a better understanding of the ideas being communicated. Can we create systems that operate on recursive communication loops to better and better define and refine ideas? Can this system be expanded to include thousands, if not millions of people at a time? OR do we even want that level of consensus on what “is?”

For now, I’m interested in your thoughts on the limitations of language, and how we can design tools to get around them on the micro and macro scale. In the meantime, I think I’m going to explore other ways we are limited in the realm of truth seeking; politically, culturally, and from an evolutionary perspective. And, on a more positive note, I’ll be looking at movements and systems that are already being implemented to overcome some of these obstacles on a society wide level.

TLDR: language is woefully inadequate for the task at hand. Got it? Good. Now that we have elucidated the elephant in the room, let the incompetent operators (us) continue using the inadequate tool (language) to solve the impossible problem (finding Truth). Onward!

P.S. Also, side note, since the first guy to get a full direct dose of how people really feel decided to commit suicide by magic shortly thereafter, maybe we should be reconsidering going down the whole “Neuralink” path. Might not end well. Just a thought.

Originally published at https://thepathlesstruth.substack.com.

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