The World Of Language

The philosophical importance of language is routinely exaggerated by those who are in awe of it, and yet language does genuinely amount to yet another aspect of human life that can be rationalistically examined.  The very fact that words are not the same as the concepts they represent means that they form an additional layer of philosophical inquiry beyond that which takes place on a purely logical or introspective level.  Words are a social construct that must be learned and engaged with on their own, which means that language does, in a sense, form its own world full of nuances that logic governs and reveals, as it does all other knowable truths.  None of this means that language has some sacred status beyond that of a mere pragmatic tool.  Still, words have a very unique nature.

It is true that language adds a new dimension to life even though it is not the pinnacle of existence that some seem to treat it as.  Even someone who is very familiar with logical truths, miscellaneous concepts, psychological states, and sensory experiences has to learn distinct words for each of these, which can in turn be used alongside even more precise words.  In this way, despite the epistemological irrelevance of language to knowledge of logical axioms, one's own mind, and even a host of other concepts, language provides a new layer of awareness to philosophical and everyday life.  Without it, there truly is a part of ordinary human knowledge missing--just not because language grounds philosophical knowledge.

This is instead because grasping concepts and logical truths and grasping the words different societies use to refer to them are quite different.  One can understand a concept or experience without having a word for it, but no one can thoroughly understand a word without comprehending the concept behind it to some extent.  Someone could only pretend to grasp the word or use it while directly aware that they are not familiar with its intended meaning when others use it.  However, even someone who is not sure what a given word is supposed to mean could still understand the concept associated with it.  The language for the concepts they already know or have yet to think of is a separate thing, without which there is a part of human experience as it is that is missing.

The "world" of language is a vast one that is purely invented.  The world of language is vital for communication with other people.  The concepts that language is supposed to convey are still more foundational and important by far.  A rational thinker does not believe that language has some supreme nature that exceeds that of concepts because words can be subjectively intoxicating or empowering.  On the contrary, a rational person does not confuse language for anything higher than a means of communication (even self-communication in some cases) while still being free to appreciate it deeply in a pragmatic and personal sense.  Words are a means to an end that, while capable of inspiring deep emotion, is always lesser than simply looking to reason and concepts themselves.