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PaulBruntonPhilosophicFoundationhomepage>NotebooksofPaulBrunton>Category7:TheIntellect>Chapter5:
Semantics

Semantics
1

Semanticsrequiresustotrainourselfinclearcommunicationsothatweshallbeableto
weightheeffectofourwordsuponpeople.
2

Webeginbymakingascientificanalysisofthemeaningofeachmajortermusedina
linguisticexpression.Weproceedbyexposingwiththeutmostclarityandexactitude,the
implicationshiddenbeneaththesuperficialmeaningofeachconcept.Weconcludeby
examiningthegeneralpurportoftheentirelinguisticform,whetheritbeaphrase,a
sentence,aparagraph,orapage.
3

TheneedofsemanticdisciplinewasrecognizedthousandsofyearsagobyPatanjali,the
Yogaauthoritywhoseapproachtothesubjectwassothoroughlyscientific.Hewrote:
"Thereisconfusionofword,object,andmentalimagebecauseoneissuperimposedon
theother."
4

IesteemSocratesbecausehewasthefirstEuropeantobestowattentionuponthesearch
forrealdefinitions.
5

Theanalyticlogiciansdoaneededwork,justasgarbagecollectorsdo,butitdoesnot
giveusanything.Thesemanticprobersdothesamewiththesameresults.Bothhave
theirplace,butitisalimitedone.Errorstartswhentheycrosstheirlimits.
6

Westudymeaningfromtwoangles:(a)ruthlessanalysisofwordsusedwithoutany
correspondingmeaningatall,mereblabwordslike"intuition,""god,"etc.,and(b)words
whichhaveameaning,butareusedbydifferentpersonsindifferentsenses.
7

Semanticsdealswiththosesubtletiesoflanguagewhichescapethenoticeofuneducated
peopleandareignoredbythosewhoshirkalittlelabour.
8

Ifevertheimportanceofsemanticswasdemonstratedtothewholeworld,itwasduring
thetwelvemonthsafterthewarended.ForthenRussiaontheonesideandBritainand
Americaontheotherquarrelledopenlyaboutthemeaningsofrulesforpostwarpolicy
madebythreeheadsofStateatPotsdam.Issuesofgravemomenttothelivesofmillions
ofpeoplewereinvolvedinthoserules.
9

Ifsuchasentenceisnottobeamerejuxtapositionofwords,ifitistobesomethingmore
thanverbalconfusion,wemusttestitsmeaningbyreferencetothefactsofverifiedand
criticizedexperience,andwemustdiscoverifitcorrespondstosomethingdiscerniblein
theactualworld.
10

Semanticsarereallyapartoflogic.
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11

Whenitcomestoexpressingmetaphysicalthought,thestudentshouldchoosehis
languagecarefully.
12

Questionswhicharewronglyputneednotbeanswered.Silenceistheironlyfitting
response.
13

Theevaluationoflinguisticfactorsformsanimportantdeterminantofthevalidityof
philosophicideas.
14

Wegetoutofthemarshofdubiousdataontothefirmgroundoffactonlywhenwe
observeastrictsemanticdiscipline.
15

Wecandefineonlybycontrastanddiscrimination.Lightdefinesitselfbycontrastto
darkness.Alldefinitionisthereforerelativeandformsaduality.Meaningarisesonlyby
separationofonethingfromanother.Hencethemeaningofonewordisentirelyrelative
tothatofanother.Wecanthinkofwhattheword"hot"means,forinstance,onlyby
thinkingofitsopposite"cold"similarlyfor"tall'and"short."
16

Whymakedifficulttopicsstillmoredifficultforstudentsbyunclearobscurewriting?
ThisisonereasonwhyfromthebeginningofmycareerIaimedatadirect,tothepoint
style.
17

Donotaskananalogytocorrespondtoasituationineveryway.Itisenoughifitusefully
illustratesasinglepoint,ifitmakesthatpointeasiertounderstand.
18

Wemustaskpeople"Whatdoyoumeanbythisword,`real',`unreal',etc.?"This
semanticsistheverybeginningofVedanta.
19

Wordsmaycloudunderstandingorhelpit.Iftheyaresemanticallycleartheymayhelpto
explainthemselvesbutstillleavethefactbehindthemuntouched.Thishappenswhen
firsthandknowledgeislacking,whenonlyhearsayorspeculationortraditionprompts
them.

Clarityisessential
20

Mindanditsexpressioninlanguagearethoroughlyinterwovenandtoimproveoneisto
improvetheother.
21

Wemustbeginbylookingintoourthoughtsandexaminingwhatsortofideasweform
whendealingwithsuchwordsandespeciallywhendealingwithabstractwords.Wemust
attendcarefullytowhatpassesinourownmentalcomprehensionthemomentanabstract
termisused.
22
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Wehavebegunourstudiesnotbylearningnewmatterbutbyunlearningtheold.So
muchthatwetakeforgrantedisnotknowledgeatallbutfantasy.Forinstance,we
assumeunconsciouslythat"B"mustexist.Theonlywaytocureourselvesoffalse
assumptionsisfirsttodiscoverthattheyareassumptions.Theonlywaytoclearour
mindsoffalselearningistoinquireintoallourlearningandexamineitswarrant.And
sinceallthoughtsareembodiedinwords,wecancarryoutthisessentialpreliminarytask
onlybyexaminingthewordshabituallyused,thetermswehaveinheritedfromour
mentalenvironment,andtoseehowfartheyarejustified.
23

Itwillnotharmourspiritualaffairstobringmoreclarityintothem.Itwillnothelpthem
tokeepourthinkingaboutthemmuddled.
24

Hewhocanconquerlanguage,conquersmen.
25

Suchsemanticselfvigilancewillhaveachasteningeffectonhisprivatethoughts,quite
apartfromhispublictalkorwriting.
26

Westartbyelucidatingtheinformationcontainedinsinglewordsorinsentence
constructions,andourprocedureistoquestionnotthewordorsentenceitselfbutthe
meaningassignedtoit.
27

Wehavetogetthemeaningofcertainwordsbygoingwithin,tofindbyinternal
experiencethecorrectdefinitionofSpirit,Thought,andLove.
28

Ifthisnewscrupulousnessrequireshimtoreformhisspeech,heshoulddoso.Ifa
spiritualizedsemanticsisneededforhisthinkingabouttruth,heshouldtakeitup.
29

Thephilosophermustaskeachwordtoyieldthoroughlyadefinitionwhichpossessesan
exactitudethatmaywellterrifytheordinaryman.Hemustbecomeahunterandwander
throughtheforestsofverbalmeaningtotrackdownrealmeaning.Hewillnotrush
prematurelyintoutterance.Wordsarecheapfortheordinarymanbutdearforhim.His
studiedhesitationleads,however,closertotruth.Thisinterpretationaldisciplinemustbe
vigorouslyapplieduntilitleadstoathoroughunderstandingofallconceptswhicharethe
essentialcountersinphilosophicalresearch.Forwhenmengoastrayintheirdefinitions
ofthesehighlyimportantterms,theywillsurelygoastrayintheirthinking,andthencebe
ledastrayaltogetherfromtruth.
30

TherearenowordsinhumanlanguageinwhichTruthcanfindadequateexpression.
31

MindcannotgrasptheBrahmanbecausethedrikisdifferentfromdrysam:hencewords,
astheexpressionofthought,cannotexpressit.Thisisthereason,notasmysticssay,that
Brahmanistoowonderfulforwords.
32

Whatdowemeanwhenweusethis"A"?Wemustmeansomethingorwewouldnotuse
it.Nowwemusteitherunderstandwhatwemeanbyitorelsewedonotunderstandit.
Fewpersonswillventuretoassertthattheyunderstand"A."Consequentlywedonot
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understandwhatwemeanwhenweusetheterm.Butisthereanydifferencebetween
suchasituationandonewhereweuseatermlikegkmouch?Thatistosay,isnot"A"a
meaninglesssound?
33

Weperceivethingsbecausewedistinguishtheform,colour,etc.,ofaparticularonefrom
others.Afterhavingdonethis,weaffixanametothethingsodistinguished.Thefactthat
wehaveperceived,distinguished,andnamedthethingmakesussitcomplacentlyback
withthefeelingthatwehaveunderstoodit.Wedeceiveourselveswhenweutterthis
wordthatisaname.Forwehaveperceivedonlyanappearance,namely,onlyasmuchas
thefivesensescancomprehend.Therealitybehindthisappearancehasescapedus.
34

Inworkofanonphilosophicornonscientificcharacter,thedutyofpreliminary
definitionisnotlaidonthestudentbecausebothauthorandreadermayimaginewhat
theypleasewithoutdoingmuchharm.Hencethephilosopherneednotbecomeausterely
insensitivetothecharmsofpoetryandthefascinationoffictionandthesolaceof
humour.Andhemayhimselfriseabovetakingwordsintheirliteralmeaningandmove
amidtheirattractionsassimileandmetaphor.
35

Therearenumerous"Gods"existinginthemindsofdifferentpeople,althoughallare
denominatedbythissingleterm.Nowiftheprimalinstrumentinthisquestionoftruthis
thinkingandifeverythoughtmustfindwordsinwhichtoexpressitself,itisessentialfor
ustobeginbydefiningeveryimportanttermwhichweuse,asandwhenwefirstuseit.
Definitionmustprecedeexplanationotherwiseconfusionwillreigninthemental
relationshipbetweenreaderandwriter.Noinstructioncanbegiven,nodiscussioncan
takeplaceeffectivelyunlessbothfirstcombinetodefinetheirtermsandtostatetheir
positions.Icannotincurthedangerofusingawordwithonesignificancegiventoitby
myownmindandanothergiventoitbyareader.Wemustbothbewareofthehabitof
inexactexpression.
36

Clearconceptsandlucidstatementsarenotlessneededbythemetaphysicalandmystical
thanbythescientifical.
37

Theaveragemanhasnotthepatienceto,anddoesnotwantto,inquireintomeaningsof
words.Hesays,"Mymeaningistherightoneandgoodenoughforme."Thisimpliesthat
heknows,butinfacthedoesnotbecausehehasnotexaminedit.
38

Theintellectcannotworkaccuratelywithblurredconcepts.Pitfallswaittoreceiveit
undersuchconditions.Thisisonereasonwhytheprocessofdiscoveringandclarifying
meaningsleadsitsadvanceintotruth.
39

Manythinkituselesstodiscussthemeaningofaterm.Thisisoftencorrectinthecaseof
alogicianwhoseeksmerelytoscoreacheapintellectualtriumphoveranopponent,
howeverdishonestly,butinthecaseofatruemetaphysicianwhoseekstruthinits
genuinesense,suchaproceduremaybemosthelpfultohim.Attheleast,itmaypointout
pitfalls.
40

Howeverapproximateallmeaningsmaybeinviewoftheincessantdevelopmentof
language,wehavetopindownthewordsusedinphilosophytoworkabledefinitions.
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Thissortofselftrainingishighlyvaluableandconstitutesthebeginningofphilosophical
wisdom.Butwherethisquestisconcernedweoughttoavoidsuchsimplicityofmindand
notfallintofallaciesasreadilyastheunthinkingmasses.
41

Wordscametopossessapowertoinfluencemanwhich,inprimitivetimes,waswidely
recognizedandraisedbypriestlysocietytothepedestalofmagic.Sacredwordsorsecret
oneswereembodiedinalltheprimitivesystemsofmagicandreligion.Contrariwise,men
evenmadescapegoatsofmerewords,sothatevilspiritsandgibberingdevilshadtheir
evocatorynames.
42

Themereuseofaphraseandespeciallyitsprintedusecarriesthesuggestionthatthe
thingforwhichthephrasestandsisreallywhatitisdescribedtobe.
43

Naturally,wewouldnotknowwhattheteachingoftheBuddhawasifwehadhadno
communicationinwordswordswereverymuchneededbutwhenthereisno
correspondencebetweenwordsandmeaningtheteachingitselfwillloseitssense.The
LankavatarathusreiteratesthroughoutthetextthattheTathagataneverteachesthe
Dharmafallenintomeretalk.
44

Putthiswordonthetorturerackandmakeitconfessitsmeaning.
45

Thisisnotapleafortheabolitionofallabstracttermsandalluniversalonestheyare
immenselyusefulandnecessaryintheeverydayaffairsofpracticallife.Itisapleaforthe
realizationthatthemomentwedropthepracticalaffairsfromconsiderationandtakeup
thephilosophicalquestoftruth,wehavetoshifttoahigherandstricterstandpointwe
havetorejectforthetimebeingallsuchtermsasaretemporarycountersthathaveno
valueinexchangeandnocorrespondingsignificance.
46

Propagandaknowsonlytwoshadesblackandwhite.Truthknowsalltherangeof
coloursinbetween.
47

Hewillexhibitacautionoflanguagesuggestedbyexperienceandenforcedby
knowledge.
48

Thenominalistsofmedievaltimeswererealistswhereastheconceptualistswereidealists.
Theformerabhorredabstractwordsasunnecessarymystificationsanddeclaredtherewas
nosuchentityasIndia,butonlyindividualIndians,forinstance,thatsocietyisonlythe
menwhocomposeit.Alistofabstractuniversalswhichwouldbenonexistentandwhich
maybeunveiledbysemanticanalysis,theirdefinitionwouldinclude:God,Time,Space,
Matter,EternalandAbsoluteExistence,Happiness,Motion,Justice,Evil,Spirit,Truth,
Reality,FirstCause,andeven"I."
49

Wemustkeepthingsintheirproperplacestocharacterizethemcorrectlyandtouse
nameswithmoreprecision.Theologyshouldnotbedressedinphilosophicpretensionsas
magicshouldnotbedressedinmysticalpretensions.
50
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Thephilosophermustdemandasperfectanintegrityinspeechaspossible.Forhima
wordmustbeusedrightlyornotatall.
51

Ifweattributemeaningwherethereisnone,wearetellingliestoourselves.
52

Thereisaprofounddifferencebetweenusingwordsbecausetheyhavebeenunderstood
andmerelyrepeatingthembecausesomebodyelsehasusedthem.
53

Ifamanhadarrivedatsomevitalandpowerfulthought,theadditionofagroupofwords
canonlystiflethenewbornlifeitcanneverrenderafaithfulcopyofthethrobbingimage
whichpalpitatedwithintheman'sself.
54

IlearntfromLocketogetmymeaningsclearinthought,thentheexpressioncouldwell
takecareofitself.
55

Thosewhoarediscerningenoughcantastetheelixirintruewords.
56

Tostateametaphysicaltruthinsuchawaythatitwillbemorehelpfultotherecipient's
understanding,itneedstobemorepreciseandcomedirectlytothepoint.Itshouldnot
loseitselfinhighsoundingbutvagueterms.Itshouldbe,andbefeltorvisionedas,
somethingquiteclear.
57

Thepovertyofvocabularyisshownintheuseofwordslike"marvellous"or"wonderful"
or"nice"whenpreciseonesareavailable.Accuracyintheuseofwordsshowsalsoatidy
mind.
58

Semanticshasitspartintheselftrainingofaquester.Itsstudymakeshimcautiousof
whathesaysandcriticalofwhathereadsandclearaboutwhatheunderstands.
59

Therepeatedphrasestickslongertothemindandmemory.Butifrepetitionisoverdoneit
becomesanirritantorabore:theauthoristhensimplynaggingthereader.
60

Metaphysicianslostinthewindingconvolutionsoftheirspeculation,mysticswhose
worksarepointlessandincomprehensibleashieroglyphicsthesebelongtotheold
school.Tellusquicklywhatyoumean,orkeepsilent,saysthemodern.
61

Theformstakenbylanguagereflectcharacterandevolutionarystatus.Ifrefinedelegant
andgrammaticallycorrectthenthespeakerisasuperiorperson.Butifrepletewithslang,
vulgarity,crudeness,hislanguageisspoiltandheshameswhathecouldbe.
62

Whatisneededtodayisnotacontinuationofthatenigmatic,puzzling,metaphorical,or
overcautiouslanguageoftheMiddleAgesastyletakenupperhapstoavoidreligious
persecutionorcivilprosecutionbutstraightforward,direct,andhonestexpression,notto
hideTruth,buttodeliveritopenly.
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63

Whereverpossibleletusnotusealanguageremotefromcommonunderstanding.Where
thisisnotpossible,thenthestudentmustmaketheeffortwhichisnecessarytoarriveat
comprehension.
64

Truthinthehighersensecannotbecommunicatedbywords,butinanindirectsymbolic
sensetheknowerofTruthmayseekforandfindwordsthatwillaccuratelygiveoutwhat
hisconsciousnessknowsasbeingTruth.
65

Wordsarevaluableintellingusaboutsomething,buttheycannevertaketheplaceof
thatsomethingitself.
66

Byworkingonhisownconsciousnessintheproperwayhemayhopetocometoan
impersonalstatewherethewordshespeaks,theproductsofhispen,arelesscolouredby
thefalsitiesofhisego,lessdistantfromtheegolesstruth.
67

Articulatespeechisnotanabsolutenecessityforhumanintercourse.Meregazingissaid
tobesufficientintheworldofSamantabhadratomakeonerealizethehigheststateof
enlightenmentknownasAnutpattikadharmakshanti.Eveninthisworld,saysthesutra,
theordinarybusinessoflifeiscarriedonmostsuccessfullyamongbeesorantsthatnever
usewords.Ifso,weneverneedwonderatthoseZenmasterswhomerelyraiseafinger.
68

Whyisitthattherearespeakerswhosewordsareforgottenassoonastheyareuttered?
Whyisitthattherearelecturerswhoseaddressesarelosttoremembranceassoonasthe
audienceleavesthelecturehall?Whyisitthattherearewriterswhoseworksareleft
unreadtoperishslowlyonuntouchedshelves?Inthelastanalysisitisbecauseofthelack
oftruth.Forthosewhoseeverysentencecompelsthought,whoseeverylectureisa
notableeventintheaudience'slife,andtheappearanceofwhoseeverybookishailed
withholyjoy,arethosewhothinktruthandcanthereforespeakandwriteit.
69

Weseekatruthwhichisunvaryinganduniversal.Defineyourtermsandthenexamine
themtodiscoverwhethertheyarerelatedtofactsornot.
70

Onlythosewhoseekfactsratherthanphrases,whorespectthemeaningofwords,arenot
likelytobeoverwhelmedbythem.
71

Therightuseofspiritual,religious,mystical,andmetaphysicalterms,withtheattemptto
getfullconsciousnessoftheirmeaning,mayhelpthedevelopmentofspiritual
understanding.
72

Whenawordbecomessovaguethatitcarriesdifferentmeaningsindifferentmouths,the
wayinwhichitisbeingusedshouldbespecificallyclarified.
73

Seriousstudentsarewillingtostruggleforthemeaning,butbusyworkersand
professionalsmayfeelthattheirenergiesarenotuptothedemand.
74
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Weloseourwayinallthismeaninglessverbiage,butwemaybegintofinditbylearning
tousewordsthatwereallydounderstand.
75

Astatementwhichpurportstogivethewholetruth,whetheraboutaman'scharacter,a
legalsituation,oracosmicschemeisusuallylessincompletethanotherstatements,butit
isstillincomplete.
76

Thesymbolisasubstituteforreality.
77

Hesaysfoolishthingsbecauseheholdsfoolishthoughts.Whenwisdomenlightenshis
mind,hewillutterfewerwords,buttheywillbemoreprudentlyuttered.
78

Onceawordhastransmittedthemeaninginitsspeaker'smindwithoutfailingatany
point,itmaybesaidtobeeffective.
79

Communicationcanonlycomeintoactualbeingwherethecollectiveverbalsymbolismis
understoodinasimilarmannerbyallwhouseit.Ifsuchcommonunderstandingisabsent
oronlypartial,thentherepresentationalvalueofthesymbolismbreaksdown.
80

Manypeopleknowthemeaningofawordwithoutreallyunderstandingthemeaning.
ThisignorancewasshownupbySocratesinthesimplebutcelebratedcaseofanonion.
81

Theymanagetopackthesmallestquantityofthoughtintothelargestquantityofwords.
82

Theinstinctivefacultyofanimalsandprimitivemengiveswayintimetothethinking
facultyofdevelopedmenwhoformconcepts,inventwords,andformulatephrasesto
accommodatewhattheytrytoexpress.Intimethehabitofthinkingconditionsthemasit
getsmorestronglyseated.Whentheneedariseswithfurtherdevelopmentforabstract
thoughts,thewordsusedtendtospreadouttheirmeaning,becomemoregeneralizedand
vague,andthusinadifferentwaytendtolimitconsciousnessstillfurther.Ifthe
consciousnessistofreeitselffromtheselimitationsitmustprobewordsmore
semanticallyandcutintoconceptswithmoreprecision.Thisbecomesimportantifthe
higherTruthbecomestheobjectofaquest.

Theproblemwithwords
83

Whoeverhasreadthebloodstainedpagesofhistoryknowswhatterrorsandwhat
agonieshaveafflictedmankindwhenwordswereonlyhalfunderstoodorquarter
understoodorquitemisunderstood.Whenthesedangerousinterpretationsofwordshave
beenletlooselikebeastsofpreyinthenameofreligionorwar,men,women,and
childrenhaveinconsequencebeenbutchered.Forreligiousscriptureandmonarchical
proclamationsarenothingbutcollectionsofwords.Whentheyaredeified,wordsthereby
becomedeified.Sectwarswithsectovertheinterpretationsofafewwordsinasingle
scriptureandgovernmentswarwiththeirownpeopleovertheinterpretationofa
constitutionalphraseoralegalclause.Whothendaresassertthattheworshipofwordsis
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ofnoconsequence?
84

Thefailuretocultivateascrupulousregardfortruthinspeechisoneofthereasonswhy
theseseekersacceptsoeasilyteachingswhichareremotefromordistortionsofthetruth.
85

Theproblemsofmetaphysicsareoftenmerepseudoproblems.Thedogmasofreligion
aremeredogmasoflanguage,playthingsofterminology,utterlydivorcedfromuniversal
factandhumanexperience.
86

Wegetthemeaningofastatementfromseveralfactors,suchasthetextwhichcontains
it,theobviousintentionofitswriterorspeaker,themoodwhichseemstodominatehim
atthetime,andtheideaswhichitarousesinourownminds.Thesamesentenceina
differenttext,writtenbyawriterwithadifferentintentionandunderadifferentmood,
mayarousedifferentideasinusandthusyieldadifferentmeaning.
87

IfthemysteryoftheSpiritisonlytobewrittenaboutinunintelligiblelanguagewhich
makesreadersonlymorepuzzledthanbefore,whytrytocommunicateit?
88

Foronewhodoesnotinquire,thewritingsofmysticsandyogiswillbefullofmeaning,
becausethereadermayimagineashelikes.Forathinker,muchinthesewritingsis
meaninglesswheretheirworksarecarefullyexamined.InVedantawedonotwantthings
whichwecannotunderstand.
89

Howmanywords,howmanyphrases,arebutthickdisguiseswhichdeceivetheirusers
anddeludetheirhearersintothenavebeliefthattheycontainrealmeaning.Howmany
utterancesarebuthollowsounds,containingnosenseandconveyingnofacts.
90

Wecanadequatelysolveaproblemonlyafterwehaveadequatelystatedit.Wecan
thoroughlythinkourwaytoasolutiononlyafterwehavethoroughlythoughtoutits
verbalmeaning.Whenthisisdoneitmayevenbefoundthattheproblemsimplydoesnot
exist.
91

Theyhavebecomeinebriatedbywordsandthinktheypresentconvincingstatementsand
argumentswhentheyhavemerelylostthemselvesinthemazeoftheirfeelings.Whatis
thesenseofbeingsofervidiftheyarefuddled?
92

Muchdiscussionisonlymuchadoaboutnothing,becausebasedontermsthatexpress
selfcontradictoryconceptsormeaninglesssounds.
93

Wemustnotmistakelyricaloutburstsinpassionateproseforsensiblemaximsincareful
phraseology.
94

Wemustbewareofbecomingobsessedbymerejargon,bylongwordswhichconveythe
conceitofknowledgebutnotitsreality.
95
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TalktoaTibetanyakherderabouttheinternalcombustionengine,tellhimhowthenoisy
explosionofgasesstartsaseriesofprocessesintooperation,andalthoughyoumaybe
usinggoodTibetanwordstheywillnotmakesensetohim.Hisconsciousnesscantakein
yoursoundedwordsbutnotyourmentalpictures.
96

ThewordswhichtheclergymanpoursintoyoureareverySundaymaybeasemptyof
contentasanunfilledbox.Thesentenceswhichliebeforeyouinblackprintonthewhite
groundofanewspapermaybeasmeaninglessasthegabbingofaverboselunatic.
97

Wemustnotmistaketheglamorousrhetoricoftheoratorforthedivineknowledgeofthe
illuminati.
98

Allunprovablestatementsofthischaracter,allassertionsbasedontheusageof
ambiguouswordsareoutsidetherealmoftruethinking,andthereforeneednorefutation
theyareineligiblefordiscussion,andincapableofyieldingtheslightestfruitupon
examination.
99

Waterwhichhasanytemperatureatall,howeverlow,necessarilyhassomeheat.
Thereforewhenwespeakofcoldwaterwearespeakingofapparentandnotscientific
truth.
100

Itisunfortunatethatasentencewhichhasnofactualcontent,nologicalmeaning,andno
correspondingobjectinNature,isshapedintothesamegrammaticalformasastatement
offactwhichcanbescientificallyverifiedorasanaccountofexperiencewhichcanbe
personallyverified.Theconsequenceisthatcarelessreadersaremisledintoillusory
beliefthattheyarereadingaboutrealthingsorreasonableeventswhentheyaredoing
nothingofthesort.
101

Beforewegoanyfartheritisdesirabletodefineourterms.Wehavetodealwithfacts,
truth,reality,God,andreligionallofwhichareamongthemostambiguouswordsin
humanlanguage.Everybodyusuallyproducesthefirstdefinitionthatpleaseshim,
withoutcaringtoenquireandconsiderwhetherthereareotherdefinitionsofaconflicting
kind.
102

Theculturalassumptionsofearlierperiodsareembodiedinsuchwordsand,withoutour
awareness,areapttomisleaduswhentheyarefalsetopresentknowledgeoffacts.
103

Weareworddrugged!
104

Wemisunderstandeachotheroftenbecausewedonotcommunicateourthoughts
adequatelyoraccuratelyenoughtoeachother.Andoutofsuchmisunderstandingthereis
bornstrife,conflict,andhatred.
105

Whenawordhasbecomequitelifeless,whenitishabituallyusedwithoutany
consciousnessofameaningattachedtoit,thereisrealdangerofdeceivingoneselfevery
timeitissoused.
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106

Suchadietofemptyphrases("flapdoodle,"asH.P.Blavatskyusedtocallit)would
sickenanyotherstomachsthanthoseofthesefoolishfollowers.
107

Itistheroleofwordstogivemeaningsorhidethem,toexplaintruthsorexpound
falsehoods.
108

Wordsmaybecunninglyorthoughtlesslyusedtocloudfactsaswellasrevealthem.
109

Thesamewordswhichexpressknowledgeinonemouth,merelyhideignorancein
anothermouth.
110

Whetheritbeaprofessorentangledinawebofwordsoralabourerimprisonedinacell
ofmaterialism,bothmisconceivethemeaningof"real."
111

Howcanwegetattruthwhenlongbutmeaninglesswordsorshortbutambiguousones
arebuiltlikeabarricadebetweenitandus?
112

Abstractwordslike"justice"mayeasilymisleadthethoughtlessandcallforcareinuse
orreading,butthatdoesnotmeantheyarequiteunnecessary.Theyhavetheirplacebut
theyoughtnottobepermittedtotransgressbeyondtheirproperlimit.
113

Toomanybaddoctrinesexisttodaybecausetheirpleaders'eloquencehassavedthem.
Butmancannotlivebytalkalone.
114

Boththereligiousdevoteeandthephilosophermayusetheword"soul,"forinstance.But
whereastheoneisonlydimlyawareofitssignificance,theotherisfullyaware.
115

Theword"soul"issovagueawordthattheOxfordEnglishDictionaryoffersnolessthan
twentyfivemeaningsforit!
116

Thelogicofthinkingmaybeaffectedandinfluencedbywronguseofwords,evenbythe
wronguseofgrammar.
117

Wehabituallyspeakof"sunrise"and"sunset"yetweknowthatthosephenomenahave
nothingtodowiththesun'smovements,butonlywiththeearth'sdailyrotation.Ourvery
languageisobsolete,unscientific,andmisleadinginthisinstance,andinmanyothers.
118

Menwhobecomesoattachedtowords,phrases,andothersymbolsastoattributea
realityeitherofmeaningorfacttothemwhichtheydonotpossess,becomeidolatrous
worshippersof"theletterwhichkilleth."
119

Theuseofslangisvulgar.Theuseofcarelessslipshodphrasesisunworthyofan
educatedman.Buttheuseoftheword"God"incommonswearingas"Goddamnit!"is
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quiteunpardonable.
120

Glibslogansaretooeasilyusedbytheyoung,theuneducated,ortheemotionalasa
substituteforreason.
121

Somespeakorwritenaturallyinanenigmaticorobscuremannerinordertolendmore
importancetothesubjectandthusbyimplicationtotheirowndepthofknowledge.
122

Thesemanticdangersofusingabstracttermswhicharetranslatedbydifferentgroupsof
peopleintodifferentorcontradictoryconcreteimages,areplainenoughinpoliticsbut,
moresubtly,theyexistalsoinmattersofreligionandmetaphysics.
123

Itisunphilosophictousetheword"spirit"whenwhatisunconsciouslymeantis"mind."
124

Theprofoundphilosophertriestoputhistruthintoterseterms.Theshallowphilosopher
wadesoutintothedeepwatersofmanywords,loseshimself,andhalfdrownshisreader
inthewavesoftimewasting.
125

Ifweapproachdifferenttheologicalauthorities,weshallfindthatoneattributestosuch
importantwordsas"salvation"and"sin"meaningswhichareatvariancewiththose
attributedbytheothers.
126

Sciencehasbeenhelpedinitsadvancebecauseithasalwayssoughttocreateanewterm
foreverynewconception,whereasphilosophyhasbeenhinderedbecauseitsstoreof
distinguishingtermslagsfarinarrearofitsstoreofconceptions.Withsuchaninadequate
numberoftoolsinitspossessionweneednotbesurprisedwhyphilosophyhasbeenhard
puttotillitsfieldssatisfactorily.Ithashadtopacktwoormoremeaningsinasingle
wordithashadtobeartheburdenofancientwordswhichcaricaturethenewly
discoveredfactsoftoday.Ithasfounditselfattimesunabletosaywhatoughttobesaid,
atothertimesactuallysayingwhatshouldnotbesaid,andatstillothertimestryingtosay
whatcannotbebesaid.Thepovertyofthephilosophicalvocabularycanonlybegotrid
ofbyinventingnewwordsorborrowingfromalientongues,butphilosophersarea
conservativerace.
127

Fewpeopleeverrecognizethatthelanguagetheyuse,andhencethethoughtstheythink,
arefilledwithunexaminedassumptions,withuncriticizedsuggestionsfromoutside,with
untestedinheritancesfromotherpeoples'past.
128

Ifaseerorteacher,aprophetormysticdoesnotclearlyknowhisownmeaningwhenhe
makesastatement,thereislittlehopethatotherswillbeabletodoso.
129

Language,whichwasinventedtohelpprimitiveman,sometimeshindershisadvanced
brother.Whenitappearsintheformofaprofuseplethoraofabstractwordsorofaloose
phraseologywhichneedsmending,heislikelytobeledastray.
130
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Itissometimespleasanttodeceiveourselveswithspecioussophistries.
131

Dotheyrealizewhattheyaretalkingabout?Oraretheymerelyrepeatingwithnomore
understandingthanaphonographrecordwhattheyhavebeentoldbysomeoneelse?
132

Suchmuddywritingmeansonlythatthereisuncertainty,obscurity,illogicality,oreven
errorbehindit.
133

Whatremainswhenwepurifythesignificanceofthistermofallhallucinatoryand
imaginatoryelements?Wemustfranklyconfessthatnothingatallisleft.
134

Throughthelipsandthepensofthosewhoknownobetter,languagehasdeterioratedand
coarsened.
135

Whenlanguageisusedsovariously,itsignifiesanythingornothingitbecomesan
instrumentofthoughtwhichissometimesintelligibleandsometimeshopelessly
unintelligible.

Themeaningoflanguage
136

Languageevolvedinresponsetotheneedsofthethinkingprocess.Itsownlimitations
preventitfromservingwiththesameadequacywhatthethinkingprocessitselfservesto
concealthesilentdepthsoftheMindbehindthemind.
137

Whenweanalyseaspokenwordwefindittobenothingmorethanavibrationintheair,
whichstrikesthetympanumoftheear,asoundproducedbythroat,palate,lips,andteeth
unitingtooperatetogether.Speechthereforeisthoughtmadeflesh.Everytimeweheara
wordutteredwestandinthepresenceofthismiracle.Familiarityhasrenderedit
commonplace,butmiracleitremains.
138

Justasthepathofreturnfrombodyruledintellecttodivineintuitionisnecessarilyaslow
one,sothedescentintomatterofman'soriginallypuremindwasalsoaslowprocess.The
"Fall"wasnosuddeneventitwasagradualentanglementthatincreasedthroughthe
ages.PureconsciousnesstheOverselfisrequiredevenfortheintellect'smaterialistic
operations.Wemaysay,therefore,thattheOverselfhasneverbeenreallylost,foritis
feedingtheintellectwithnecessarylife.Allthishasbeengoingonforuntoldages.At
firstmanpossessedonlyasubtlebodyforalongperiodbutlater,ashisintellect
continuedmoreoutwardbentthanbefore,thematerialbodyaccretedtohim.Thiscurious
positionhasarisenwhereintellectcannotindeedfunctionintheabsenceoftheOverself,
yetdeceptivelyarrogatestoitselfthesupremacyofman'sbeing.Pretendingtoguideand
protectman,itisitselfrebelliouslyandegotisticallyblindtotheguidanceoftheOverself,
yetenjoystheprotectionofthelatter.Theintellectualegoselfisthusproppedupbythe
Overselfandwouldcollapsewithoutit,butpretendstobeselfsufficing.
139

THEWORD.Iamtheworld'sgreatesttyrant.YetparadoxicallyIamtheworld'sgreatest
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liberator.Idecimatepeoples,raisearmies,ruinfamilies,anddestroymarriages.Imake
thelivesofcountlesspeoplehappy,Ialsomarthelivesofcountlessothers.Ibringwealth
tosomeandpovertytomany.IamtheWord.
140

Therightuseofwordshasbroughtintobeingthatimmensestoreofrecordedknowledge
whichisoneofthemostpreciousheritagesmanpossesses.Today,throughthe
understandingofwords,weareabletoshakehandswiththeworld'smostrenowned
sages,tohavetheprivilegeofadiscussionwiththedistantwise,andtositattableforan
intellectualfeastwiththedead.
141

OnlypresentdayWesternlanguageisstrainedwhenitdealswithotherthanphysical
matters.Wefinditdifficulttotalkaboutmentalmatterswiththesubtleprecisionthey
demand.Wetendtomakethingsoutofwordsinthesamewaythatwetendtomakefacts
outoftraditions.
142

Letusfirstenquireintothenatureandfunctionofthiscodeofcommunicationcalled
language.Whatwasitsorigin?Primitivemensoonfoundtheneedofmakingknowntheir
thoughtsorperceptionstoeachotherwhentheybegantolivetogether.Ideas,notbeing
visible,couldhardlybecommunicatedbygestureswhilstasuitablevehiclehadtobe
foundbymeneventopresentthemclearlytotheirownminds.Thusthewordwasborn
andmadetostandforathought.Hereintheysecuredatremendousadvantageoverthe
animals.Thenumberofwordswhichhumanbeingscouldformandaccumulate
immenselyoutrangedthefewhoarsecriesinwhichanimalshadperforcetoexpress
themselves.Thisdevelopmentwasrenderedpossiblebythepossessionofalarynx.
143

Suchistheextraordinarysituationthatlanguage,whichdeliversmostmenfrom
superficialignorance,bindsthemthemorecloselytoprofounderignorance.
144

MenlikeMaeterlinck,Fabre,Thoreau,andBurroughshavegiventhemostpainstaking
andcarefulattentiontothelifeandpsychologyofants,spiders,beavers,horses,dogs,
andevenbirds.Whatisthesumoftheirdiscoveries?Theyhavefoundthatthese
creaturesoftheanimalkingdom,althoughunabletothinkandreasonascreaturesofthe
humankingdomdo,neverthelessexerciseanunerringintelligence,seeminglyautomatic
andhereditarythoughitbe,anintelligencewhichwecallinstinct.
Antsandtermitescloselyorganizethemselvesintoawonderfulsocietywhereeachhas
hisappointedtaskandwhereallworkindividuallywithsoldierlydisciplineand
indefatigableindustryforthecommonbenefit,asisdemonstratedbythewaytheystore
foodforfuturecommunaluseandtheexpertwayinwhichtheypractisetheartof
warfare.Beaversbuildtheirdamsacrossstreamswiththeaccuracyandingenuityof
skilledengineers.Largeflocksofbirdsmigratewithunfailingregularitytothesamespot
insomedistantcountryeveryyear,neverlosingtheircorrectdirection.Awildcreature
roamingthejungleswillnottouchpoisonousplants,howeverhungryitbe.Aspiderspins
awebforitspreywiththecalculatedaccuracyofamathematicianandtherefinedgrace
ofanartist.Nobodydaredenythatsomekindofintelligence,someactivityofmind
guidesanddirectsmultitudesofcreaturesallovertheworldandshowsthemhowtofeed
andsupportthemselvesandtheiryoung,howandwhentostorefoodforthewinter
months,howtocurethemselveswhenill,whatarethenourishingfoodsforthemtotake,
andsoon.
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Whenhoweverweaskinwhatwaythisanimalmindcompareswiththatofhuman
beings,wesoonobserveoneimportantdifference.SciencehasascertainedthatNature
invariablyevolvesanewbodilyorgantoperformaneededphysicalfunction:thusthere
wasatimeinthemistypastwhenallcreatureshadnoearsbutgrewthemasthenecessity
ofhearingsoundsbecamemoreandmoreurgent.ItwasNature'sadaptationtoinner
need.Thereisonefunctionwhichanimalsdonotshareincommonwithhumanbeings
andthatisspeech.Theydonotpossessthatdelicateandintricateorgan,thelarynx.This
isquiteclearlybecausetheydonotfeeltheneedofit.Evenourprimitiveancestorswere
onceatthestagewhentheytoowerelarynxless.Nowlanguageistheproductofspeech
andcameintobelatedbeingaftermenwishedtocommunicatewithothermen.Whatis
speechbututteredthoughts?Andwhatarethoughtsbuttheproductoftheworkingof
intellect?Andwhatisintellectbut,totakethedefinitiongiveninourfirstvolumes,"the
activityoflogicalthinking"?Butlogicalthinkingcannotbeperformedwithoutusing
words.Andwordscannotbespokenwithoutthepossessionofalarynx.Iftherefore
Naturehasfailedtomakethephysicalgestureofgrowingalarynx,itisbecausethe
mentalneedsoflogicalthinkinghavenotcompelledit,thatis,suchthinkingisabsent.
Manyanimalscanseesmellhearandtastewithmuchgreateracutenessthanhumans,but
noneofthemcanutterthosemagicalwordswhichwillmakealogicallyconstructed
thoughtknowntoanotheranimalnonecanframewordsintophrasesandthenformulate
thelatterintosentences.Theabsenceofspokenlanguageamonganimalsisitselfaproof
thattheyarenottheratiocinativecreatureswhichhumanbeingsare.Thesplendidbut
limitedintelligencetheyshowandtheremarkableperceptionofhowandwhentoact
whichtheypossessaresufficientlyremarkabletoimpressobservers,buttheyarethe
resultsofthesamelogicalfacultywhichmanusestheyaretheresultsofasubconscious
instinctivementalworking.Weadmitthiswhenwerefertoitas"instinct."Ananimal
submitstotheguidanceofthissubconsciousmindanddoesnotbalanceuptheprosand
consofamatterrequiringdecision,asthehuman'slogicalminddoes.Somehigher
animals,liketheelephant,thelemur,andtheape,maynotconformtothisdescription.
Butthisismerelybecausetheymarkatransitionalstageinevolutionandareclose
enoughtothehumankingdomtoexhibitexceptionaltraits.Theyhavebeguntomanifest
specialcharacteristicsoftheirown,tobreakawayfromtheherdimprint,andthusto
showthatindividualitywhichisamarkofman.Thisindividualselfconsciousnesswhich
manalonepossessesinitsfullnessisthefruitofhispossessionofselfconscious
intellectualprocesses.
145

ItisnotthewordsofanyscripturebetheyLatin,Greek,orSanskritwhichhavespecial
powerovermen:itiswhattheythemselvesputintothewords.Thatistosay,itistheir
faith,imagination,desire,andexpectancywhichinvestthetextwithsuchpower.But
thesestatesofmindaretheirown.
146

Languageshapesthinking.Itsformsandstructuresmaypermitorprohibitthe
entertainingofcertainspecificideasbythosewhospeakit.ThelanguagesofEuropeand
America,forexample,promotematerialism,whereasSanskritretardsit.
147

Wordsaremuchlikecoinsforwefindthosewhosevalueisnil,andyetthesecounterfeits
arefreelypassedintogeneralcirculation.Wealsofindothersthathavebecomedebased
bymisuseandstillotherswhicharewornthinbytimeandmeanbuthalfofwhatthey
oncemeant.Yetwhethergenuine,defective,orworthless,allarestilltokensof
negotiableutilitywithus.
148
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Bewareofwords.Totheignoranttheyareexpressionsofhumanknowledgetothewise
theyareexpressionsofhumanignorance.
149

Whilstwehavetouseamaterialisticvocabularywithwhichtodemolishmaterialism,we
arehamperedgreatly.
150

Thefirstdifficultythemindhasinformulatingthoughtaboutthetruthisthatthevery
wordsitmustuseinsuchformulationsareboundupwith,andtakenfrom,theillusion
whichthesensesengenderinit.Thevocabularywhichitmustuseinunderstandingorin
explainingitsexperienceoftheworldisitselfbasedontheideathattheillusiveisthe
real.Withsuchafalseideatostartwith,itcangivefalsemeaningsonlytoendwith.
151

Althoughhemaynotknowitatthetime,eachmanwhooffersastatementabout
anythingwhichexistsinthisworld,anysituationorconditioneven,offersan
interpretationofit,suggestsameaning.Thisisdonebytheverywordsheuses,thevery
formhegivestothesentences.Itisnotawilledaction,forhehasnochoiceinthematter.
152

Theusetowhichitisordinarilyputmakesupaword'smeaningonthisbasisnowordis
entirelymeaningless.
153

Atremendousadvantagecamewhenwordswereinscribedonclaytablets,styledondried
palmleaves,writtenontoughparchmentsorprintedasmarksonpaper.Then,aman's
thoughtwasabletotraversetheimmensityofspaceashisvoicenevercoulduntillately.
Suchwasthebirthofthiscomplicatedapparatusoflanguagewhichrepresentsthingsand
thoughtsbyarticulatesoundsorwrittensigns.
TheNotebooksarecopyright19841989,ThePaulBruntonPhilosophicFoundation.

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