Thursday, 12 November 2020

On language, and tribalism ...


“Language is a conceptual tool—a code of visual-auditory symbols that denote concepts. To a person who understands the function of language, it makes no difference what sounds are chosen to name things, provided these sounds refer to clearly defined aspects of reality. But to a tribalist, language is a mystic heritage, a string of sounds handed down from his ancestors and memorised, not understood. To him, the importance lies in the perceptual concrete, the sound of a word, not its meaning…”
          ~ Ayn Rand, from her essay 'Global Balkanisation, in The Voice of Reason

[Hat tip Ayn Rand Centre UK]

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1 comment:

will said...

She certainly was no poet.