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These files are maintained strictly for historical reference, research, and recordkeeping purposes,
and the content has not been altered or updated since archiving.
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If you require an alternative, accessible format of any information found on this site,
please contact Bruce Jones, bjones@ucsd.edu to request an accommodation.
On 4 January 2013 06:48, Greg Thompson <greg.a.thompson@gmail.com> wrote: > Mike, > Yes, a lovely piece that plays with naming and its centrality to Western > philosophy. Seems like perhaps a nice critique of Herder's notion of the > role of naming in human historical development, which itself might have > been an influence of Vygotsky's - or at least he was in the same game of > the aforementioned German Romantics. > > Here is a nice little excerpt on Herder and naming and animals from Peter > Bornedal's book, The Surface and The Abyss: Neitzsche as Philosopher of > Mind and Knowledge (and please forgive the lengthy quote, but I thought > that whereas the second half seems particularly relevant to the LeGuin's > point about naming and animals, the first part has a wonderful resonance > with Etienne Pelaprat's recent paper with Mike on Minding the Gap and the > importance of dis-coordination to the human capacity to transcend immediacy > and instead to inhabit a mediated world): > > 'We recall that Herder already had a sophisticated theory of the origin of > language, on several counts anticipating Nietszche and Freud's. One can > compare to this passage of Herder's: "[Man] manifests reflection when, > confronted with the vast hovering dream of images which pass by his senses, > he can collect himself into a moment of wakefulness and dwell at will on > one image, can observe it clearly and more calmly, and can select in it > distinguishing marks for himself so that he will know that this object is > this and not another. He thus manifests reflection if he is able not only > to recognize all characteristics vividly or clearly but if he can also > recognize and acknowledge to himself one or several of them as > distinguishing characteristics. The first act of this acknowledgment > results in a clear concept; it is the first judgment of the soul - and > through what did this acknowledement occur? Through a distinguishing mark > which he had to single out and which, as a distinguishing mark for > reflection, struck him clearly." Herder Uber den Ursprung der Sprache (p. > 722-723). The slow recognition of a thing as distinctive - the gradual > capability to see something as something - is also in Herder the > precondition for the emergence of the word. Herder explains even better how > this formation of language occurred, how the origin of language was > conceived: "Let that lamb there, as an image, pass by under his eyes; it is > to him, as it is to no other animal. Not as it would appear to the hungry, > scenting wolf! Not as it would appear to the blood-lapping lion. […] Not so > with man! As soon as he feels the need to come to know the sheep, no > instinct gets in his way; no one sense of his pulls him too close to it or > too far away from it. It stands there, entirely as it manifests itself in > his sense. White, soft, woolly - his soul in reflective exercise seeks a > distinguishing mark - the sheep bleats! This bleating which makes upon > man's soul the strongest impression… the soul retains it. The sheep comes > again. White, soft, woolly - the soul sees, touches, remembers, seeks a > distinguishing mark - the sheep bleats, and the soul recognizes it. And it > feels inside, 'Yes, you are that which bleats.' It has recognized it > humanly when it recognized and named it clearly, that is, with a > distinguishing mark." Herder: Uber den Ursprung der Sprache, p. 723. The > lamb jumping past the perceptive subject is not recognized as such before > the subject recalls from its memory the same "white, soft, woolly" > creature, identical to the creature jumping about in its visual field. When > finally it "bleats," the subject understands, "Ha, you are the one that > bleats," and it recognizes the lamb as lamb. The subject has recognized > something as something; it has established identity, the A=A, and in the > process reduced or simplified a world of becoming into a world of being." > > But then again, maybe this is LeGuin's point - that the naming is not a > mere matter of the control of man over nature (as one might expect with the > wolf or the lion). Rather, here is an aesthetic sensibility that drives > mind and cognition: The lamb is the one that bleats! > The uniqueness seems twofold: a unique reference, but also an appreciation of the medium first-hand. Hence we find our way to express the genuine: "Happy, New, Year"; "Happy New Year!"; "Happy tidings". It's the thought that counts. Huw > > (and let's be honest that LeGuin's version is much more aesthetically > pleasing to the English ear/eye, although I suspect that "bleats" may have > a more pleasant aesthetic in the original German, any German speakers out > there?). > > -greg > > > > On Thu, Jan 3, 2013 at 6:53 PM, mike cole <lchcmike@gmail.com> wrote: > > > This has been floating around my classes, sorry about the confusion. I > > think its relevant. > > mike > > > > > > On Thu, Jan 3, 2013 at 5:49 PM, Greg Thompson <greg.a.thompson@gmail.com > >wrote: > > > >> yes, mike, if easily accessible, please repost. > >> I only know Leguin from her book "That's Funny, You don't look Buddhist" > >> Would love to read more. > >> -greg > >> > >> On Thu, Jan 3, 2013 at 6:25 PM, mike cole <lchcmike@gmail.com> wrote: > >> > >>> Could we call this ambivalence/contradictionS a necessary property of > >>> joint > >>> cultural/mediated activity perhaps. Resistance to too much > subordination > >>> is > >>> the otherface of having no categories at all. I have sent Ursula > Leguin's > >>> short story She Unnames Them to you-all didn't I? If not, shame on me > >>> and I > >>> will repost. It is all about classification/naming and resistence. > >>> Something about power and gender in their too, although my students > had a > >>> hard time believing me when I said that. > >>> mike > >>> > >>> Thu, Jan 3, 2013 at 5:01 PM, Larry Purss <lpscholar2@gmail.com> > wrote: > >>> > >>> > Greg, your additional commentary on the resistance to being > >>> classified, but > >>> > at the same time wanting to honour and acknowledge our ancestors, is > >>> > another one of those contradictions [ambivalences??] which I find > >>> > fascinating. > >>> > > >>> __________________________________________ > >>> _____ > >>> xmca mailing list > >>> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu > >>> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca > >>> > >> > >> > >> > >> -- > >> Gregory A. Thompson, Ph.D. > >> Visiting Assistant Professor > >> Department of Anthropology > >> 883 Spencer W. Kimball Tower > >> Brigham Young University > >> Provo, UT 84602 > >> http://byu.academia.edu/GregoryThompson > >> > > > > > > > -- > Gregory A. Thompson, Ph.D. > Visiting Assistant Professor > Department of Anthropology > 883 Spencer W. Kimball Tower > Brigham Young University > Provo, UT 84602 > http://byu.academia.edu/GregoryThompson > __________________________________________ > _____ > xmca mailing list > xmca@weber.ucsd.edu > http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca > __________________________________________ _____ xmca mailing list xmca@weber.ucsd.edu http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca