Logic + Linguistics: Language Games and the Secret World of Words
Taught by Ryan Doto
Ryan Doto is a host of things, including an obsessive learner, an omnivorous reader, a technophile, and an overall closet nerd. His professions include philosophy PhD student, professional Starcraft II player, and creator of two daily podcasts. If he could merge a book and a computer (and not the way the Nook or Kindle have), he would never, ever go outside.
Language is more important than any of could ever begin to understand. None of us would be anywhere without it, and it is so commonplace that it is impossible not to take it for granted. But what are these words? What is language?
The structure of language is the structure of the way we think, and the way we are. Language dictates our thought patterns, our thoughts, and our world. This class will attempt to unravel some of the mystery and wonder hidden within language. With the aid of philosophical thinkers such as Lyotard and Wittgenstein, we will explore how words can be meaningless, words can be devastating, words can be useless, or words can be the very structure upon which reality hinges!
If you have any interest in literature, debate and argumentation, or getting a new look at how you think and see the world, this class is for you. Over three weeks we'll explore the foundations of language, the way language interacts with us, why language has become part of the external world, and why what you think you've just said makes absolutely no sense at all!
Join this class and enter the rabbit hole that is the structure of language. I guarantee it will be mind-bender, and a lot more fun than taking the blue pill.
