Scott Mayers wrote:
I don't know how you don't see any use of language as a form of modeling our reality??? We denote objects and beg the first learners of words by association in the presence of the objects or actions. These then become models when we use these words later on. Models cannot be avoided.
Mathematics models natural logic.
Ancient language modeled natural logic as well.
Modern language, at best, only models our perception. It is very very poor at this job and it does an even poorer job at communicating ideas. Most people most of the time will make misstatements about nature. Fully 95% of statements made about nature are wrong or irrelevant to the phenomenon under discussion but people don't notice. This isn't to say scientists make mostly misstatements and many of their misstatements are mere colloquialisms; eg- the sun came up this morning. Scientific language is used to communicate models and scientific language is less prone to deconstruction so scientists are much better at communicating current understandings. To a very limited extent scientific language is actually a modeling of reality as well. However, for the main part, every scientist misunderstands both the model and the reality and they each still have unique understanding caused by language. Where the language is mathematical the understanding becomes much more understood the same by each person.
Modern language is the culprit in almost every failure of communication and understanding. If you think in modern language you can understand something but you can't communicate it and know the listener has the same understanding. The simpler the concept the more easily shared understanding can be established and estimated. There are countless reasons for this which I've mentioned many times but one of the largest is that every word derives its meaning from context and we each have our own estimation of defining and connotative meanings. But additionally modern language is not tied to reality by any means at all. We can talk about geiger counters all day even though one or both doesn't understand each aspect of the way they work, the principles involved, the way older models worked, or even the nature of what they measure. We still will both think we know these things or believe the other does and "learn" from him. After such a discussion both parties will be astounded to hear me say that no two beta particles are identical and the numbers we use to count them are mere constructs that can't be properly applied. Sometimes I've interrupted such "discussions" to inform the parties they are talking about two different things! One thinks the subject is geiger counters and one thinks the subject is mother boards or toasters. Normally we just don't notice we're talking about two different things because the things we're talking about are similar; God willing, extremely similar.
Modern language pretty much requires we make statements. These statements might be something like "I believe Russian hats are made of wool". But generally we speak in declarative statements. It doesn't matter that everything is so complex that no human can understand it because we run around making statements like we do. "Geiger counters detect background radiation". Nobody has a problem with such statements even though the terms aren't defined. Silver nitrate film is a sort of geiger counter but for no practical purpose does it detect low radiation unless exposed to it and for a protracted period. Of course geiger counters can't detect any radiation on Alphe Centarii because no such device exists there. To "detect" something we must be able to access the output. "Background radiation" is very much different on a star than the earth. Need I even point out that we don't understand the nature of "radiation" and only model it. No matter what you say and how you say it it is always wrong and always misunderstood. Nature is not condusive to statements. Reality doesn't bend to language and language is tied in no way to reality.
Modern language is distinct from reality and there is little overlap even in scientific modeling and descriptions. People don't notice because the perspective provided by thinking in modern language hides all these faults. We blithely proceed about our lives thinking we understand reality and the human race knows everything. We think we always understand one another. How can we be wrong about everything when we can even count the number of tiny particles zipping about?