The Pare with Josh Kaufman Josh Kaufman

This short episode ties together the thoughts explored in parts 1 and 2 and introduces the original song, “Lost In The Language” that acts as a companion piece to all of this talk about the limits of language and thought.

Ludwig Wittgenstein is one of the most well-known and influential philosophers of the 20th century. With the help of Virginia Tech philosophy professor, Wittgenstein scholar, and author, Jim Klagge, we’ll take a look at Wittgenstein’s ideas about the limits of language and thought. Thanks to Ryan Koch for contributing original instrumental music. Further reading: Wittgenstein’s Artillery: Philosophy as Poetry by James Klagge. ALSO Simply Wittgenstein by James Klagge (an accessible introduction to Wittgenstein). Join the community that helps to make this show happen at https://www.patreon.com/joshkaufman

Almost 100 years ago, Benjamin Lee Whorf suggested that thought was inextricably tied to and shaped by the language a person speaks. It’s a compelling and intriguing thought. But was he right?

Thanks to Ann Bunger.

Further reading:

“Interactions Between Language and Mental Representations: Language and Cognition” in Language Learning (2016) by Ercenur Ünal and Anna Papafragou

The Language Hoax: Why the World Looks the Same in Any Language by John McWhorter

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