Language is a construct, and because of this it is ultimately limited in its ability to express all ideas. Some ideas are well characterized linguistically, but this is not true of all ideas–in fact, many ideas and concepts cannot even be reasonably translated between languages! As a corollary to this, any derivative of a language system (such as logical manipulation of language symbols) is also a construct. Thus, if we limit our view of the world to only that which can be known through language (or logic, or mathematics) we risk minimizing our exposure to ideas that can only be expressed otherwise.
Fortunately, this type of worldview is almost impossible to maintain, at least for someone with even minimal exposure to the arts. In addition to music, visual art, and dance, poetry (including lyrics) provides an intermediary between the world of language and art. Poetic expression uses the same lexicon as spoken language, but the devices of metaphor and (somewhat) free reign on syntax and form create an art of language, in a sense. Powerful ideas captured in poetics have the ability to transcend the literality of words and convey an untranslatable message.
Musical and theatrical performances, then, strive to achieve this super-linguistic degree of communication (with varying degrees of success). But I think it is important to realize that a wordless song or dance can convey an idea just as real, true, and applicable as a book or speech. Ideas come from people, not from words.
3 comments
Comments feed for this article
November 3, 2007 at 10:16 pm
Paul M Martin
Generally I agree, but I wonder if the arts don’t convey feelings more than ideas.
I think of language/logic as being about ideas, with the happy exception, as you point out, that language can be used in poetry – and also can be used poetically in prose.
It should also be mentioned that in meditation, there can be experiences that don’t fit neatly into either the category of feeling or idea.
November 4, 2007 at 11:29 am
Jacob
Yes, meditation is another excellent example.
Our character and worldview are shaped and guided by all our experiences in life. Reading a logical treatise may have made a conscious intellectual impact on us that we remember, but listening to an instrumental musical album could potentially have even greater impact on the totality of our being.
November 5, 2007 at 2:30 pm
Paul M Martin
And I think that’s what really counts and is quite a process – that ongoing integration between thought and feeling/experience that’s involved in personal growth.