There

is

n o t h i n g
o u tside
t h e

t e x t.

Colin M. Turbayne
and Jacques Derrida

on the world as linguistic

Turbayne
The Myth of Metaphor (1962)

Argues that
Worldasmachineviewwasametaphor
Themetaphorhasbeentakenliterally,confusedas
reality
Worldaslanguageisabettermetaphor,asit
explainsmorephenomena

First, whats a metaphor?

Thepresentationofthefactsbelongingtoone
categoryintheidiomsappropriatetoanother
(GilbertRyle)

Examples

TheStateisamanyjointedmonsterorleviathan(Hobbes)
Themindisastate(Plato)
Themindinitsbodyisthepilotofaship(Descartes)
GodtomanisFathertoson
Weseebygeometry
Airplanessufferfrommetalfatigue

Make-believe vs. believe

Tomakebelieveametaphor
Pretenditisso
Toillustrate,toinduceattitudes,inspirebehavior

Tobelieveametaphor

Takeitasfactual;itsreallylikethat
Bevictimizedbyit
Attachtoit,attributeinherentexistencetoit
Beclosedtoalternatemetaphors

The World as a Machine

Seeing by geometry

The Machine Model

BeganwithDecartesdreamin1619.
Ihavedescribedthisearth,asifitweremerelya
machine
Features:

Deduction
Extension
Motion
Corporealforce

Worldisresextensa

Seeing by Geometry
ForDescartes,Newton,Kepler andotherscientistsin
the1718th centuries,visionbygeometrysupported
themodelofuniverseasmachine.
Opticswasbasedongeometry
Themindwasaninnerobserverusinggeometryto
understandtheouterworld

The Geometric Model

Shape is Seen and Felt

Iftheworldisresextensa ,thenthroughgeometry
anddeductiveentailments.
Object=substance;whatwesense=attribute.
Theshapeisextended,so
thevisualshape=thetactileshape

Therefore,weseethesameshapewefeel.

The Molyneux Problem

Proposedin1688byWilliamMolyneux
Supposeamanisbornblind
Knowshiswayaround
Candistinguishacirclefromasquarebytouch
Becomesabletoseeasanadult
Canhedistinguishacirclefromasquarebysight?

Geometric Model says Yes

Modelsayssquareintheworldtouchedandseen
Modelsaystherelevantfactorsaregeometricaland
causal.
Ifanatomyishealthy,causeeffectworks
Perceptionshouldfunction
Thesquareintheworldcreateseffectsthroughboth
sensorymodalities
Visionneednotbelearned

First Experiment: NO
TestedbyWilliamCheselden in1728,whoremoved
cataractsfromaboyseyes
Theboywasnotabletodiscernanyshapesvisually
Subsequentexperimentsgavearangeofresults
Resultsvarywithmanythings,includingwhatthe
patientistoldaboutvision
Learninghelpsvision

Language Model says NO

The World as Language

Seeing as linguistic

The Language Model

Accountsforallthephenomenaofthegeometric
model
GivesbetteraccountoftheMolyneaux Problem
Soteriologically moreholistic

First, whats a language?

Characterizedbysignsandthingstheysignify
Signsnotidenticalwithornecessarilyconnected
withsignifieds
Welearnvocabularybyostensivedefinition
Thevariousrelationsbetweensignsandsignifieds
arenotcausalornecessaryconnections,butmore
likerulesofgrammar
Rulescanhaveexceptions

Comparison of Models
GeometricModel

LanguageModel

Parts

Dialect

Whole

Language

Cause,object

Signified

Effect

Sign

Objects

Itemsofvocabulary

Laws ofoperation

Rulesofgrammar

Examples

Dog areasignforthesound[D][O][G].

Themarks

ThemarksDog areasignforthemarksDog.The
marksDog areasignforthemarksDog.
Thesound[D][O][G]isasignfor
Words(signs)aregiventhesamenamesasthe
things(signifieds).Wemakeamistakeifwepresume
acommonessence.

Language and Molyneux

Fortheblindman:
Thetactilesquareandtactilecirclecanbeseenasvocabulary
wordsinthelanguageofthetactilesense

Asnewlysighted,heneedstolearnanewlanguage
Tactilesquaretranslatedto
Tactilecircletranslatedto

AnalogoustotranslatingDog toHund

Language of Vision

Sensesasiftheywerelanguages
Relatedtoeachotherbyassociationandhabit
Languagesarelearned
Translationsnotpredictableinadvance
Round andsquare arevocabularyitems
Vocabularycomesbyostention
Visualsquareandtactilesquareacaseoftwo
differentthingsbeinggiventhesamename
Molyneux caseneedstime

Applying the Model

Newmetaphorinplaceofold
Signsandsignifieds arecolors,sounds,feels,etc.
Perceptionasifitwereconversation,giveandtake,
questionandanswer
Pictureyourselfwalkingtowardsapoolofwater.Isit
amirage?Dothevisualsignspointtotactilewetness
oragranulardryness?Resolvedinthesubsequent
conversation,includingotherinterlocutorscalled
feetandwalking.

Benefits
Languagemodelpreferabletogeometricmodel
Languageisopen,free,changeable
Amoreglobal,connectedfeeling
Removessenseofinner/outermetaphysicaldivide
Nofeelingsofbeingcutofffromtheouterworld

Derrida
Deconstructing presence

Derrida on Presence
Meaning,experience,evenIam isneverfullypresent
Alwaysmediatedbysigns
Signsdependonabsence,promiseanddeferral
Thispromiseisneverfullykept
ThisisOK presenceisconstitutedbyabsenceand
differance.
Languagedoesntrefertononlanguage

Derrida on Signs /1
Thoughtsaresigns Wethinkinsigns.
Signsarearbitrary
Nonecessaryconnectionwithsignified
Samesigncanthereforefunctionassomethingelse
samenessisconstructed

Signsareiterable,repeatable
Samesigncanoccurelsewhere,indifferentcircumstances
includingfaking,quotation,andplay
Signdependsonitsownnonpresence(otheriterations)

Derrida on Signs /2
Noanchorbetweensignsandtheirsignifieds
Possibilityofinterpretation,decisionpointinginadifferentwayis
neverabsentfromsituation

Signsdeferaccesstosignified
Signstandsinplaceofsignified,whichisalwaysoffstage
Signifieditselfturnsouttobeanothersignlikeitem,becauseofbeing
iterable,repeatableinotherconditions,andbeingabletorefer
Deferralneverconsummated
Fullpresencealwaysslipsaway

Possibilityfordrift,dissemination,andslippageofmeaning
builtintowhatasignis

How about I am?

Aremyideasaccurate?
Aretheycausedbytheworlditself?

OramIbeingdeceived
byanevilgenius?

What can I be sure of?

I am
Descartes,inMeditationsonFirstPhilosophy
Iam,Iexistisnecessarilytrueeachtimeitis
expressedbyme,orconceivedinmymind.
IsthesentenceIam areportoffullpresence?
Isitadirectstatementoffact?

It is iterable
Undermanydifferentconditions

Iam. Iam. Iam. Iam. Iam. Iam. Iam.

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Clicktoadvance
throughthisslide.

am.

It can also be
SaidbytwodifferentIs(thinkAbhidharma)
Anaffirmation
Anewlookorfeel(greatnewdrag)
Acongratulation
Aquote
Plus,Descartescheated.HealreadyassumedIam
byclaimingthatIexpressitorconceiveitinmy
mind.Anythingthatisexpressedbymeor
conceivedinmymindestablishedmyexistence.
Iamisnotaspecialsentence.

But surely the sense itself?

Issense ofIamness fullypresent?
No:
Thesensetooisiterable (imagineitoccurringjustonce!)
Characterizedbyitsabsence
Hasbeginningsandendings
Acquiresitsmeaningbycontrastwithsensesmeaning
somethingelse.
Neverfullypresentinanyoneiterationbecauseofthe
possibilitiesofotheriterations
Imitablebymethodactors
Often,itisassertedtobecontinuous,andthe
discontinuitiesarefilledbytheassertionitself.

Conclusions
From both Turbayne and Derrida

Conclusions /1
Nothingoutsidethetext everything,evenPresence
itself,canbeseenasbeingconstitutedby
sign/signifiedrelations
CompareIndras NetofJewels
Thisdoesawaywithmanyvexingdualitiessuggested
bymechanicalorgeomodels:

Appearance/reality
Substance/attribute
Word/world
Ghostinthemachine/worldoutside

Conclusions /2
Thesoteriological benefits:

Noalienationordisconnectfromtheworld
Openness
Generosity
Conclusions /1
Seeingselfthesameasothers
Appreciationoftheirlanguage,i.e.,lifeways

End