Is Language the Root of All Knowledge?

Postmodernists typically say that all knowledge is mediated by language, and many of them say that reality is "constructed" by language. That is, there is no reality except for what is contained in, mediated by, or even created by human symbols like words. Some say that even arithmetic is a cultural or historic construct, so that 2+4=4 is acceptable, and 2+2=5 is "illegitimate," depending on your situation and what symbols you've been trained to "emit."

That conclusion is difficult to accept just on the face of it. But some people find it reasonable. I wonder what they do with the fact that infants as young as four months know that certain geometries are impossible, and at age six months they already know some arithmetic?

Posted: Mon - March 19, 2007 at 11:56 AM |

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Is Language the Root of All Knowledge?

Thinking Christian by Tom Gilson