"Language referring to the realm of the nonverbal is necessarily talk about things in terms of what they are not--- and in this sense we start out beset by a paradox. Such languag signs for helping us find our way about. Indeed they can be even so useful that they help us to invent ingenious ways of threatening to destroy ourselves."
In what ways do you think Burke meant by making the argument that we're inventing ingenious ways of destroying ourselves?
I feel like Burke is intending to say that we have so much power in language, both positive and negative, that it can inevitably hurt us in some way. It's like saying "ignorance is bliss" because the less you know or less knowledge that you have, the more you're prone to living a happy life. I feel like this is more or less of what he is trying to say. He could also mean that words and language can be misconstrued and misinterpreted in many ways as well.
ReplyDeleteBecause Burke emphasizes throughout most of the passage that words can be used for our benefit and our detriment, I believe that he is saying that words can be one way that we "destroy ourselves". I think that he is making the point that language is one of the most powerful tools in this world and a lot of times it can be used in the wrong way. In my opinion, Burke was intending to make the statement that we are now sometimes using language as an invention (spinning it in a way) that is misinterpreted will be seen as a weapon and not a tool which for communication in which it was intended.
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