Plato: Part 2 of 2
Back to the original quote. The relation of writing and geometry is an interesting one, and certainly a specific one. And I would agree with Plato, I think comparing the seemingly emotional act of writing (in the sense that I think he is referring to) to the mechanical, analytical methodology of geometry is valid. Language - semiotics - is deadly interesting, and can be, in my opinion, as rigid as math. Perhaps there is more room for personal expression, but with a decent understanding of language one can pick and choose the specific words and conventions needed to put forth a particular message, and this is often very subtle.
To relate this to something tangible, say advertising, think about how the language used to promote a product/service in Fortune magazine differs from that used to sell something in Glamour, or Entertainment Weekly. Maybe that's being a little specific, but think about how you speak to your parents as compared to your peers. It's not only the choice of words to use (or avoid), but also the structure of the sentences that change. To head the opposite direction, I once read a book (called the Gnostic Gospels or something... this was a while ago) which brought forth the argument that while the Christian faith quotes Jesus as claiming to be "the" messiah/Christ, due to translation errors, Jesus was only claiming to be "a" Christ (thus implying this was/is something that ANYONE could achieve). Think about what this distinction means! Now, I've not the knowledge to claim who's right in this case, nor am I a institutionally-religious person, but again, the subtleties of language are powerful indeed.
But, getting back to the quote, while I believe language and geometry aren't too different from one another, common-sense would say writing is of course more personal than mathematics - it was not firstly devised as an analytical convention, but rather a mode of personal expression. Or was it? If you were to study the history of writing you might find that it evolved primarily out of a need to communicate on a technical, economical, and even commercial level. As society evolved records needed to be kept - who paid their taxes, how much food was stored that year, etc. While this may be true, there's no doubt writing and the choice of language in our society has moved back towards its more lyrical verbal counterpart, speech, and further away from its pseudo-scientific origins. So maybe writing and the choice of language is fundamentally subconscious and emotionally-driven, primarily dictated by the environment and situation, but (as Plato's hinting at) never fully removed from its mathematical youth.
So what's my point? There isn't one, really. I'm stoned. All I wanted to do was expound my understanding of the above words, and share my musings on the matter with a community that seems to be full of thought, imagination, and personal expression.
I'd love to hear yours.
Back to the original quote. The relation of writing and geometry is an interesting one, and certainly a specific one. And I would agree with Plato, I think comparing the seemingly emotional act of writing (in the sense that I think he is referring to) to the mechanical, analytical methodology of geometry is valid. Language - semiotics - is deadly interesting, and can be, in my opinion, as rigid as math. Perhaps there is more room for personal expression, but with a decent understanding of language one can pick and choose the specific words and conventions needed to put forth a particular message, and this is often very subtle.
To relate this to something tangible, say advertising, think about how the language used to promote a product/service in Fortune magazine differs from that used to sell something in Glamour, or Entertainment Weekly. Maybe that's being a little specific, but think about how you speak to your parents as compared to your peers. It's not only the choice of words to use (or avoid), but also the structure of the sentences that change. To head the opposite direction, I once read a book (called the Gnostic Gospels or something... this was a while ago) which brought forth the argument that while the Christian faith quotes Jesus as claiming to be "the" messiah/Christ, due to translation errors, Jesus was only claiming to be "a" Christ (thus implying this was/is something that ANYONE could achieve). Think about what this distinction means! Now, I've not the knowledge to claim who's right in this case, nor am I a institutionally-religious person, but again, the subtleties of language are powerful indeed.
But, getting back to the quote, while I believe language and geometry aren't too different from one another, common-sense would say writing is of course more personal than mathematics - it was not firstly devised as an analytical convention, but rather a mode of personal expression. Or was it? If you were to study the history of writing you might find that it evolved primarily out of a need to communicate on a technical, economical, and even commercial level. As society evolved records needed to be kept - who paid their taxes, how much food was stored that year, etc. While this may be true, there's no doubt writing and the choice of language in our society has moved back towards its more lyrical verbal counterpart, speech, and further away from its pseudo-scientific origins. So maybe writing and the choice of language is fundamentally subconscious and emotionally-driven, primarily dictated by the environment and situation, but (as Plato's hinting at) never fully removed from its mathematical youth.
So what's my point? There isn't one, really. I'm stoned. All I wanted to do was expound my understanding of the above words, and share my musings on the matter with a community that seems to be full of thought, imagination, and personal expression.
I'd love to hear yours.
But you really should take a break.