Literature
I was struck by the way that Larissa MacFarquhar finesses a delicate strategy in her piece on Pat and Paul Churchland (?Two Heads? Feb. 12, 2007). Her article thoroughly explains how these two philosophers of mind are working to complicate (and ultimately do away with) the linkages between language and thought; in other words, MacFarquhar effectively uses language to describe how we might begin to imagine a world without language. The Churchlands? wish to get beyond language is rather puzzling, especially given their own adoption of more sophisticated and nuanced language in their day-to-day lives. Collaborative writing practices also seem to reflect the sort of brain-sharing that interests the Churchlands: one often reads accounts of collaboration in which co-authors finish each other?s sentences or anticipate one another?s thoughts. For that matter, aren?t all serious engagements with what we call ?literature? instances of ?brain joining?, however mediated or incomplete? In fact, isn?t this precisely the reason why The New Yorker devotes impressive (and, frankly, expensive) amounts of empty space to the margins of its poetry selections? These spaces make room for readers to enact a brush against another brain, to inhabit the perceptual processes of another human. One can accept language as a ?minor phenomenon,? and yet still spend a lifetime expanding one?s mind with words.
- To "over-interpret"
What does it mean when people warn others not to "over-interpret" a situation? This usually means that too much thinking can paralyze action, and then things don't get done. This makes sense from a practical standpoint: the more time I spend analyzing...
- Letters To The Editor
One of the practical ways that I use literature is to inflect my weekly perusal of The New Yorker. I receive a subscription of The New Yorker every year as a gift, and in this magazine I often find articles that I use in the classroom. Sometimes, I write...
- Applied Linguistics
Linguistics Language has been an object of fascination and a subject of serious enquiry for over 2,000 years. From the earliest periods, there has been an objective approach, with scholars investigating aspects of grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation...
- Immanuel Kant: On The Beautiful And Sublime (critique Of Judgement)
The Age of Enlightenment saw the emergence of many great philosophers, one of the dominant figures being German-born Immanuel Kant. For this month's Literary Movement, I thought it might be a good idea to take a break from fiction and read some philosophy...
- True Creative Writer Preserves Culture
PROF YAKUBU NASIDI, former two-term Deputy Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, speaks to the New Nigerian Weekly acting editor, Mr. Andrew Fadason, on literature and other related issues. NNW: Considering the fact that there are very...
Literature
On language and the philosophy of mind
I was struck by the way that Larissa MacFarquhar finesses a delicate strategy in her piece on Pat and Paul Churchland (?Two Heads? Feb. 12, 2007). Her article thoroughly explains how these two philosophers of mind are working to complicate (and ultimately do away with) the linkages between language and thought; in other words, MacFarquhar effectively uses language to describe how we might begin to imagine a world without language. The Churchlands? wish to get beyond language is rather puzzling, especially given their own adoption of more sophisticated and nuanced language in their day-to-day lives. Collaborative writing practices also seem to reflect the sort of brain-sharing that interests the Churchlands: one often reads accounts of collaboration in which co-authors finish each other?s sentences or anticipate one another?s thoughts. For that matter, aren?t all serious engagements with what we call ?literature? instances of ?brain joining?, however mediated or incomplete? In fact, isn?t this precisely the reason why The New Yorker devotes impressive (and, frankly, expensive) amounts of empty space to the margins of its poetry selections? These spaces make room for readers to enact a brush against another brain, to inhabit the perceptual processes of another human. One can accept language as a ?minor phenomenon,? and yet still spend a lifetime expanding one?s mind with words.
- To "over-interpret"
What does it mean when people warn others not to "over-interpret" a situation? This usually means that too much thinking can paralyze action, and then things don't get done. This makes sense from a practical standpoint: the more time I spend analyzing...
- Letters To The Editor
One of the practical ways that I use literature is to inflect my weekly perusal of The New Yorker. I receive a subscription of The New Yorker every year as a gift, and in this magazine I often find articles that I use in the classroom. Sometimes, I write...
- Applied Linguistics
Linguistics Language has been an object of fascination and a subject of serious enquiry for over 2,000 years. From the earliest periods, there has been an objective approach, with scholars investigating aspects of grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation...
- Immanuel Kant: On The Beautiful And Sublime (critique Of Judgement)
The Age of Enlightenment saw the emergence of many great philosophers, one of the dominant figures being German-born Immanuel Kant. For this month's Literary Movement, I thought it might be a good idea to take a break from fiction and read some philosophy...
- True Creative Writer Preserves Culture
PROF YAKUBU NASIDI, former two-term Deputy Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, speaks to the New Nigerian Weekly acting editor, Mr. Andrew Fadason, on literature and other related issues. NNW: Considering the fact that there are very...