there is nothing outside the text

8/10/2019 There is Nothing Outside the Text

1/41

T h e r e i s

n o t h i n g

o u ts i d

t h e t e x t.

e


2/41

Colin M. Turbayne

and Jacques Derrida

on the world as linguistic


3/41

Turbayne

The Myth of Metaphor 1962)


4/41

Argues that

Worldasmachineviewwasametaphor

Themetaphorhasbeentakenliterally,confusedas

reality

Worldaslanguageisabettermetaphor,asit

explainsmore

phenomena


5/41

First, whats a metaphor?

The

presentation

of

the

facts

belonging

to

one

category

in

the

idioms

appropriate

to

another(GilbertRyle)

Examples TheStateisamanyjointedmonsterorleviathan(Hobbes)

Themindisastate(Plato)

Themindinitsbodyisthepilotofaship(Descartes)

GodtomanisFathertoson

We

see

by

geometry Airplanessufferfrommetalfatigue


6/41

Make-believe vs. believe

Tomakebelieveametaphor

Pretendit

is

so

Toillustrate,toinduceattitudes,inspirebehavior

Tobelieve

ametaphor

Takeitasfactual;itsreallylikethat

Bevictimizedbyit

Attachtoit,attributeinherentexistencetoit

Beclosedtoalternatemetaphors


7/41

The World as a Machine

Seeing by geometry


8/41

The Machine Model

BeganwithDecartesdreamin1619.

I

have

described

this

earth,

as

if

it

were

merely

amachine

Features:

Deduction

Extension

Motion

Corporealforce

Worldisresextensa


9/41

Seeing by Geometry

ForDescartes,Newton,Kepler andotherscientistsin

the

17

18th

centuries,

vision

by

geometry

supported

themodelofuniverseasmachine.

Opticswas

based

on

geometry

Themind

was

an

inner

observer

using

geometry

to

understandtheouterworld


10/41

The Geometric Model


11/41

Shape is Seen and Felt

Iftheworldisresextensa ,thenthroughgeometry

and

deductive

entailments. Object=substance;whatwesense=attribute.

Theshape

is

extended,

so

thevisualshape=thetactileshape

Therefore,we

see

the

same

shape

we

feel.


12/41

The Molyneux Problem

Proposedin1688byWilliamMolyneux

Supposeaman

is

born

blind

Knowshiswayaround

Candistinguishacirclefromasquarebytouch

Becomesabletoseeasanadult

Canhedistinguishacirclefromasquarebysight?


13/41

Geometric Model says Yes

Modelsayssquareintheworldtouchedandseen

Modelsays

the

relevant

factors

are

geometrical

and

causal.

Ifanatomyishealthy,causeeffectworks

Perceptionshouldfunction

Thesquareintheworldcreateseffectsthroughboth

sensorymodalities

Visionneednotbelearned


14/41

First Experiment: NO

TestedbyWilliamCheselden in1728,whoremoved

cataracts

from

a

boys

eyes Theboywasnotabletodiscernanyshapesvisually

Subsequentexperimentsgavearangeofresults

Resultsvarywithmanythings,includingwhatthepatientistoldaboutvision

Learninghelps

vision


15/41

Language Model says NO


16/41

The World as Language

Seeing as linguistic


17/41

The Language Model

Accountsforallthephenomenaofthegeometric

model

GivesbetteraccountoftheMolyneaux Problem

Soteriologically moreholistic


18/41

First, whats a language?

Characterizedbysignsandthingstheysignify

Signsnot

identical

with

or

necessarily

connected

withsignifieds

Welearnvocabularybyostensivedefinition

Thevarious

relations

between

signs

and

signifieds

arenotcausalornecessaryconnections,butmore

like

rules

of

grammar Rulescanhaveexceptions


19/41

Comparison of Models

Geometric

Model Language

Model

Parts Dialect

Whole Language

Cause,object Signified

Effect Sign

Objects Itemsofvocabulary

Laws ofoperation Rulesofgrammar


20/41

Examples

ThemarksDogareasignforthesound[D][O][G].

ThemarksDogareasignforthemarksDog. The

marks

Dog

are

asign

for

the

marks

Dog.

Thesound[D][O][G]isasignfor

Words(signs)aregiventhesamenamesasthe

things(signifieds).

We

make

amistake

if

we

presume

acommonessence.


21/41

Language and Molyneux

Fortheblindman:

The

tactile

square

and

tactile

circle

can

be

seen

as

vocabulary

wordsinthelanguageofthetactilesense

Asnewly

sighted,

he

needs

to

learn

anew

language

Tactilesquaretranslatedto

Tactilecircletranslatedto

AnalogoustotranslatingDogtoHund


22/41

Language of Vision

Sensesasiftheywerelanguages

Relatedto

each

other

by

association

and

habit

Languagesarelearned

Translationsnotpredictableinadvance

Roundandsquarearevocabularyitems

Vocabularycomesbyostention

Visualsquare

and

tactile

square

acase

of

two

differentthingsbeinggiventhesamename

Molyneux case

needs

time


23/41

Applying the Model

Newmetaphorinplaceofold

Signsand

signifieds are

colors,

sounds,

feels,

etc.

Perceptionasifitwereconversation,giveandtake,

questionandanswer

Pictureyourself

walking

towards

apool

of

water.

Is

it

amirage? Dothevisualsignspointtotactilewetness

or

a

granular

dryness?

Resolved

in

the

subsequent

conversation,includingotherinterlocutorscalled

feetandwalking.


24/41

Benefits

Languagemodelpreferabletogeometricmodel

Languageisopen,free,changeable

Amoreglobal,connectedfeeling

Removessense

of

inner/outer

metaphysical

divide

Nofeelings

of

being

cut

off

from

the

outer

world


25/41

Derrida

Deconstructing presence


26/41

Derrida on Presence

Meaning,experience,evenIamisneverfullypresent

Alwaysmediated

by

signs

Signsdependonabsence,promiseanddeferral

Thispromiseisneverfullykept

ThisisOK presenceisconstitutedbyabsenceand

differance.

Languagedoesnt

refer

to

non

language


27/41

Derrida on Signs /1

ThoughtsaresignsWethinkinsigns.

Signsare

arbitrary

Nonecessaryconnectionwithsignified

Samesigncanthereforefunctionassomethingelse

samenessis

constructed

Signsareiterable,repeatable

Samesigncanoccurelsewhere,indifferentcircumstances

includingfaking,

quotation,

and

play

Signdependsonitsownnonpresence(otheriterations)


28/41

Derrida on Signs /2

Noanchorbetweensignsandtheirsignifieds

Possibilityofinterpretation,decisionpointinginadifferentwayis

neverabsent

from

situation

Signsdeferaccesstosignified

Signstandsinplaceofsignified,whichisalwaysoffstage

Signifieditself

turns

out

to

be

another

sign

like

item,

because

of

being

iterable,repeatableinotherconditions,andbeingabletorefer

Deferralneverconsummated

Full

presence

always

slips

away Possibilityfordrift,dissemination,andslippageofmeaning

builtintowhatasignis


29/41

How about I am?


30/41

Aremyideasaccurate?

Aretheycausedbytheworlditself?


31/41

OramIbeingdeceived

byanevilgenius?


32/41

What can I be sure of?


33/41

I am

Descartes,inMeditationsonFirstPhilosophy

I

am,

I

existis

necessarily

true

each

time

it

is

expressedbyme,orconceivedinmymind.

IsthesentenceIamareportoffullpresence?

Isit

adirect

statement

of

fact?


34/41


35/41

Iam.

I.

am.

Iam. Iam. Iam.Iam.Iam.Iam.

Iam. Iam. Iam. Iam.Iam.Iam.Iam.

I

am. I

am. I

am. I

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am.



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am. I

am. I

am. I

am.I

am.I

am.I

am.


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am. I

am. I

am. I

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am.



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am. I

amI

am.I

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am.


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am. I

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I

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Iam. Iam. Iam. IamIam.Iam.Iam.

I

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amI

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I

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I

am. I

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aI

am.I

am.I

am.

Clicktoadvance

throughthisslide.


36/41

It can also be

SaidbytwodifferentIs(thinkAbhidharma)

Anaffirmation

Anewlookorfeel(greatnewdrag)

Acongratulation

Aquote

Plus,Descartescheated. HealreadyassumedIam

byclaiming

that

Iexpress

it

or

conceive

it

in

my

mind. Anythingthatisexpressedbymeor

conceivedinmymindestablishedmyexistence.

Iam

is

not

aspecial

sentence.


37/41

But surely the sense itself?

IssenseofIamnessfullypresent?

No: Thesensetooisiterable (imagineitoccurringjustonce!)

Characterizedbyitsabsence

Hasbeginnings

and

endings

Acquiresitsmeaningbycontrastwithsensesmeaning

somethingelse.

Neverfully

present

in

any

one

iteration

because

of

the

possibilitiesofotheriterations

Imitablebymethodactors

Often,it

is

asserted

to

be

continuous,

and

the

discontinuitiesarefilledbytheassertionitself.


38/41

Conclusions

From both Turbayne and Derrida


39/41

Conclusions /1

Nothingoutsidethetext everything,evenPresence

itself,

can

be

seen

as

being

constituted

by

sign/signifiedrelations

CompareIndras NetofJewels

Thisdoes

away

with

many

vexing

dualities

suggested

bymechanicalorgeomodels:

Appearance/reality

Substance/attribute

Word/world

Ghost

in

the

machine/world

outside


40/41

Conclusions /2

Thesoteriological benefits:

No

alienation

or

disconnect

from

the

world Openness

Generosity

Seeingself

the

same

as

others

Appreciationoftheirlanguage,i.e.,lifeways

Conclusions /1


41/41

End

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