Difference between revisions of "Culture Other Resources"

Latest revision as of 15:45, 28 November 2023

Core Readings

• "Linguistic Relativity." Read highlighted parts of first and second intro paragraphs. Read teaching team note. Link 1 min
• Whorf, Benjamin Lee. (1956). "The Relation of Habitual Thought and Behavior to Language." Language, Thought and Reality: Selected Writings of Benjamin Lee Whorf. pp. 134-137. Link

Key paper by a seminal thinker. Beyond page 137 Whorf requires careful reading. If you're interested in linguistic relativity, you may find this extra effort worthwhile.

• Magic. (1999). Language We Live. Link 15 min

People living at Magic, a valuescience-based community, and aiming to cultivate health, cooperation, and environmental stewardship describe deliberate changes to idiolect they're making and advocate, and explain their rationales for doing so.

• "Narrative Paradigm." Wikipedia. Read intro paragraph and section titled "Overview." Link 3 min
• "List of Cognitive Biases" Link. 3 min

Here more for you to see the immense range of pitfalls than for you to learn every single one.

• Janus, Irving L. (1971) "Groupthink." Psychology Today. 6pp 10min Link

Janus discusses factors in poor decisions by groups and how to improve group decision-making.

Quotations

• "We do not realize what tremendous power the structure of an habitual language has. It is not an exaggeration to say that it enslaves us through the mechanism of s[emantic] r[eactions] and that the structure which a language exhibits, and impresses upon us unconsciously, is automatically projected upon the world around us." - Korzybski, Alfred. (1930). Science & Sanity. 90
• "We dissect nature along lines laid down by our native language. The categories and types that we isolate from the world of phenomena we do not find there because they stare every observer in the face; on the contrary, the world is presented in a kaleidoscope flux of impressions which has to be organized by our minds—and this means largely by the linguistic systems of our minds. We cut nature up, organize it into concepts, and ascribe significances as we do largely because we are parties to an agreement to organize it in this way—an agreement that holds throughout our speech community and is codified in the patterns of our language. The agreement is, of course, an implicit and unstated one, but its terms are absolutely obligatory; we cannot talk at all except by subscribing to the organization and classification of data which the agreement decrees. . . . We are thus introduced to a new principle of relativity, which holds that all observers are not led by the same physical evidence to the same picture of the universe, unless their linguistic backgrounds are similar, or can in some way be calibrated." - From Whorf, Benjamin; Carroll, John B. (ed.). (1956). Language, Thought, and Reality: Selected Writings of Benjamin Lee Whorf. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. 213- 214.

Interest Readings Note: We highly recommend interest readings by Cialdini, Brafman, Kahneman, and Thaler, which we’ve highlighted for your convenience.

• Cialdini, Robert B. (1998). "Scarcity." Influence: Science and Practice. pp. 213-221 10 min Link

Cialdini shows how people panic in face of perceived scarcity.

• Brafman, Ori and Rom. (2008). "The Anatomy of an Accident." Sway: The Irrestible Pull of Irrational Behavior. pp. 10-24 15min Link -

Authors describe cascade of factors to which seasoned commercial pilot responded irrationally, causing worst aviation accident in history.

• Kahneman, Daniel. (2011). "Don't Blink! The Hazards of Confidence." New York Times. 10pp 10 min Link -

Kahneman cites numerous examples of cognitive bias.

• Thaler, Richard H. and Sunstein, Cass R. (2008). "Biases and Blunders." Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness. pp. 17-37. 20min Link

Thaler and Sunstein discuss how predilection for certain ways of thinking compromises human performance and describe how to take advantage of these to shape behavior towards more positive ends.

• "Semiotics." Wikipedia. Read highlights in first three paragraphs, and teaching team note. Link 2 min
• "Deconstruction." Wikipedia. Read the intro paragraph and the two paragraphs under "According to Derrida." Link 3 min
• "Cognitive Activism." Wikipedia. Read intro paragraph. Link 1 min
• "Cognitive Bias" Wikipedia. Link.

Note how recently humans have formally developed this field of study.

• "Illusion" Link.

Yet another hurdle in successfully practicing science.

• "Metanarrative." Wikipedia. Read intro paragraph. Link 1 min
• "Edward Bernays." Wikipedia. Read intro paragraph and two highlighted quotes. Link 2 min
• Wordnik. "Ideology." Link 1 min
• "Propaganda." Wikipedia. Read Introduction. Link 1 min
• Wordnik. "Propaganda." Link 1 min
• "Propaganda Techniques." Wikipedia. Skim for examples. Link 5 min
• Thich Nhat Hanh. (1999). "Stopping, Calming, Resting, Healing." The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching. Link pp. 24-27. 4pp., 8min.
• Cooper, Belle Beth. (2013). "8 Subconscious Mistakes our Brain Makes Every Day—And How to Avoid Them." Fast Company. 10 pp 15 min Link
• Boroditsky, Lera. "How Does Our Language Shape the Way We Think?" (2009). The Edge. Link

Boroditsky provides examples of linguistic relativity from around the world. For core ideas read highlighted sections. Read the whole article if you like.

• Boroditsky, Lera. "How Language Shapes Thought." (2011) Edge. Link

More examples of linguistic relativity from around the world. (Read highlighted portions only.)

• Lakoff, George. (2003). “Metaphor and War, Again.” Alternet. Link

Lakoff discusses how people in positions of power in U.S. government used particular words to frame war in Iraq to elicit popular support.

• Donges, Jan. (2009). "What Your Choice of Words Says about Your Personality." Scientific American Mind. Link

Donges describes how word choice and syntax can be used to ascertain a speaker's/writer's mental state.

• Google N-gram Viewer Link

Here we can search a large library for given words and obtain a graphic display of changing frequency of use and more broadly evolution of language, and by dint of linguistic relativity, trends in thought. Search for example: "free market," "externalities," "browser," and "mouse." Search at least three other words of your choosing.

• "It's No Accident: Advocates Want to Speak of Car 'Crashes' Instead." NYTimes. (22 May 2016). Link

Here's linguistic evolution underway, with those pressing for change clearly stating interests they're aiming to further. I find interesting historical pressures out of which current usage arose. Please reflect upon import of this change, and think about other ways you might evolve language to reshape your and others' thought and perception. 5pp., 5 min.

• Boroditsky, Lera, "Language and Perception." (2006) Edge. Link

Boroditsky writes of how she set out to disprove linguistic relativity and instead confirmed it.

• Wikipedia. “Propaganda Model” Link

Discussion of Herman’s and Chomsky’s model of media as instruments to perpetuate an ideology favorable to a power elite, including supporting examples of media in this role. 10pp., 10min.

• "Frank Luntz." Wikipedia. Link

Article about right-wing cognitive activist.

• "George Lakoff." Wikipedia. Link

Article about left-wing cognitive activist.

• Leanse, Ellen P.. (25 June 2015.) "Google and Apple Alum Says Using This One Word Can Damage Your Credibility." Business Insider Link (2pp., 2 min.)

I find this an interesting example of how people are becoming more aware of the potential benefits of conscious evolution of idiolect.

• Robb, Alice. (April 23, 2014.) "Multilinguals Have Multiple Personalities." Link

Multilinguals evidence different personality traits when tested in different languages.

• Orwell, George. (1946). "Politics and the English Language." 1st two paragraphs. Link

Orwell writes of evolution of language, its causes and consequences.

• Slashdot. (2009). "Babies Begin Learning Language in the Womb. Link

Brief article with links to research reports that babies emerge with vocalizations tuned to mother's tongue.

• Pennebaker, James. (2007). "Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count Program." Link

Pennebaker has created a tool for analysis of writers' predilection for particular vocabulary.