Language and Power

Politicians and advertisers are very much aware of the power of language. A clever use of language may influence what people will accept as true knowledge. The connection between language, knowledge and (the abuse of) power provides excellent material for TOK discussions.

Language can reinforce relationships of authority, oppress marginalised groups and manipulate thoughts of less knowledgeable people. Political propaganda, euphemistic language, and the censorship of expression(s) demonstrate the connection between language and power. The history of mankind is thronged with examples of cultural imperialism through language. Which dialect of your mother tongue do you associate with wealth and education? Why is that? Are we, albeit subconsciously, using language to reinforce social class, gender boundaries and ethnic hierarchies?

The brilliant book 1984, by George Orwell, really makes us think about the relationship between language, thought and power. 1984 is a dystopian novel which imaginatively explores the possibilities of a totalitarian society in which free choice and individual thought are controlled by the state ['big brother is watching you']. The novel explicitly discusses the power of language as a tool to gather, limit or control knowledge. The following quote from the novel illustrates this point:

“Don't you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thought-crime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it. Every concept that can ever be needed will be expressed by exactly one word, with its meaning rigidly defined and all its subsidiary meanings rubbed out and forgotten. . . . The process will still be continuing long after you and I are dead. Every year fewer and fewer words, and the range of consciousness always a little smaller. Even now, of course, there's no reason or excuse for committing thought-crime. It's merely a question of self-discipline, reality-control. But in the end there won't be any need even for that. . . . Has it ever occurred to you, Winston, that by the year 2050, at the very latest, not a single human being will be alive who could understand such a conversation as we are having now?”

What Orwell Really Means https://youtu.be/oe64p-QzhNE

Language is far from neutral and the knowledge passed on through language may consequently lack objectivity. People have long been aware of this fact. Depending on the area in which you are constructing knowledge, you may or may not want to remove "the human fluff" from language. You will notice that the language you use in the Natural Sciences, for example, is generally more "neutral" and "free of imagery" than, let's say the language you use to analyse a poem in English Literature or an image rich painting in the Arts. In Mathematics, we have even attempted to create a unique and universal language that is almost complete void of human subjectivity. The richness of human language can be a blessing in some circumstances, but a hindrance to knowledge in others.

Removing human fluff

​With the advent of "machine language" and technological advancements, we have ventured into a whole new territory. How useful is it to remove human qualities from a language? Does this lead to more reliable knowledge? Converting ideas into codes has created endless opportunities for new knowledge. But is this perhaps reductionist? Machines are now able to learn and translation devices are becoming smarter, but there is something about human language which machines find hard to get right.

Computers and Human Language: https://youtu.be/X4BmV2t83SM

Language, knowledge and complex ideas

One of the things that makes humans unique is our ability to use language to express complex ideas. True, animals have their own version of language (sometimes these abilities are quite impressive, like is the case for Bonobos, for example). However, Can animals truly know, given their fairly limited means of communication? How much can we know without language? How important is (human) language for the acquisition of knowledge?