Friday, July 10, 2009

Symbolic Communication

"Suppose we were trying to establish and improve communication with a species of being so remote from our own that they were totally unable to grasp our existence or relationship with them. We may imagine perhaps that we are trying to make intelligent contact with our own blood-cells. All we could do, would be to use symbol-units from their field of being which had something in common with ours and attempt to construct an intelligible language out of these. At first, such symbols would be very basic and primitive, but as time went on and developments of evolution took place, communication would improve and become more sophisticated and facile. Exactly this problem exists between the Greater Consciousness and our own."

From The Ladder of Lights, by William G. Gray. So far, it is an excellent book!

12 comments:

goatman said...

I took a course in technical writing once and the prof. had us choose an everyday object: pen, paper clip, compass, desk etc . . . . We were to describe this object in writing to someone who could read and understand our language but had no knowledge of our planet or our objects.

Of course communicating with a blood cell on the unconsciously religious level would be a bit harder and more of the trial and error variety of discourse, I suspect. But I'm game!

Sophia said...

Hi Goatman,

How could they understand our language if they had no knowledge of our objects? Many of our words, after all, are symbols of our objects.

Don said...

Sophia,

They could understand us probably in only one way - you start with very basic concepts and build. Thus it would be a long and arduous process.

Also, I don't think anybody is ever going to communicate with blood cells, other than us seeing blood oozing from a wound and the blood telling us "Your bleeding!"

donstockbauer *attt* hotmail.com

Kathy Trejo said...

You may command nature to the extent only in which you are willing to obey her.

- Walter Russell from The Man Who Tapped the Secrets of the Universe

you think that this quote might apply to the Greater Consciousness and our own?

interesting book and subject...love it. :-)

goatman said...

They didn't know any nouns!!

SHUBHAJIT said...

Thought process is an excellent medium. I surely hope you have heard about telepathy.

I tell you a small anecdote. Few days ago I saw my childhood friend in my dream and later in the day I got a call from him. i couldn't attend the call but when in the evening I called him back, I asked whether he saw me in his dreams or not. He denied it and I told him that I saw him. And then he revealed that he also saw me with other childhood pals. Was that any incredible coincidence?

Thought process is very powerful but it is directly proportional to the purity of heart. The Yogis in India have these exceptionally powers to change the thoughts of others or heal or to develop clairvoyance. Though they don't bother about all those things because for ultimate realization they can't think of anything but their own spirit.
But few are those who use powers to uplift mankind and they are prophets, messengers, or in a lower degree great man.

Sophia said...

Don,

A good example is how I communicate with my dog. Both of us seem to understand what the shape of a dog biscuit means.

Sophia said...

Hi Kathy,

I would like a translation of that quote. I don't think we can fully obey nature unless we understand all her rules.

Sophia said...

Goatman,

Hmmm.... I don't know how they could understand our language if they didn't know any nouns.

Many times many things are over my head.

Don said...

Sophia,

Yes, as I stated you have to get down to very basic concepts. The smell of a biscuit to a dog is just that - chemical language - no words needed.

donstockbauer *attt* hotmail.com

Kathy Trejo said...

I was thinking (when i used that quote) that if everything in the universe is connected to everything else because we all are made up of the same things atoms...then everything is natural and not supernatural. So if we did or could fully obey nature and understand all her rules....could we then command her/nature? could we then tell our blood cells what to do? cure cancer in us...heal ourselves and others?

Don said...

Kathy said:

So if we did or could fully obey nature and understand all her rules....could we then command her/nature? could we then tell our blood cells what to do? cure cancer in us...heal ourselves and others?


Probably not. Viewed from a cybernetic perspective, systems have the potential to both control and be controlled by other systems. It seems that some systems one just does not have control over. Like wanting the Andromeda Galaxy to start spinning the other way around. Which is a good thing, it's a limit on what we can do and we need that.

donstockbauer *attt* hotmail.com