General Semantics

Our use of language makes us humans profoundly different from other animals.

With language, we communicate abstractions to others, consolidate our ideas, and

share knowledge across generations. Most of us have gone through school

comfortably feeling that words do a pretty good job in describing the world around

us and how it works. If you feel this way, I'd like to invite you to take a brief look

into general semantics (the name was coined by Alfred Korzybski about 75 years ago

and should not be confused with “ordinary” semantics).

In his book called “Science and Sanity,” Korzybski described how our language

and symbolism can lead us into poor or even dangerous evaluations if we accept

words too literally for what they are supposed to stand for. This may sound almost

childishly obvious, but the implications are extremely wide-ranging and subtle,

and easy to miss without personal effort.

According to Korzybski, two desirable conditions to strive for are “consciousness of abstracting,”

and “extensionality.” More mouth-filling words, but their meaning is not difficult. What is harder

is making them become an unconscious part of our behaviour – it takes a lot of practice.

Even without using language at all, whatever we sense is an abstraction of the “real”

world. There is no way in hell that we can sense “all” of the reality of anything. When

we look at something, we see only a tiny part, and even that depends on the light that

shines on it, the condition of our eyes, and much more. Without help, we can't possibly

know exactly what's behind it, inside it, or be aware that it's made of zillions of atoms

and molecules. So when I give this thing, say an apple, a name – what does that mean?

Well, for one thing, I know that the word doesn't tell me much of anything about a particular apple,

beyond what I can bring to it from my own memory and experience. I need to investigate that

apple to find out more. But it's important to remember that even when I heft the apple, look at it in

every which way, smell it, taste it, and so on, I'm getting an abstraction of it that may be quite different

from yours. You may have a cold, and can't taste, so when I say, “This is delicious,” you don't agree.

If I remain aware that your perception of the apple is never going to be exactly the same as mine, I

am practicing “consciousness of abstraction.”

The apple case may be trivial, but if Sam tells me, “Hey, your kid's really stupid,” I have

to be very careful to remind myself that we're speaking of abstractions – otherwise I may

want to punch Sam, with all the consequences that may bring on.

So, consciousness of abstracting means remaining aware that other people's views of the world

and how it works will differ from mine in numerous ways. Successful communication comes

about when we remember this, and deal with it in two ways, by building on the parts of the

abstraction that we agree with, and by attempting to become more extensional.

Becoming extensional primarily means trying to look behind the word to better understand

what it represents. “Your kid is stupid” is clearly an abstraction of reality that Sam has put

into words. If I accept what Sam says without trying to extensionalize, I have accepted his

view of reality as mine, and it will anger me. On the other hand, if I stay aware that there is

a “real” child behind these words, my child, one that I think I know far better than Sam, I can,

if I wish, begin to probe Sam's abstraction by asking for expansion, explanation, definition.

When we both come to a similar extensional level, then perhaps the whole situation will be

defused. Students of general semantics believe that these methods will work even between

governments on the verge of war. Try it, and see if you don’t agree.

There’s much more to general semantics than the above sample covers, things that you may find much

more useful and interesting. For more resource material, go to the main website, http://www.time-binding.org

The director of IGS (Institute for General Semantics) is Steve Stockdale, and he will be pleased to offer

suggestions for further study.