C. K. Ogden sees communication as the means to purge semantic dissonance and thereby open a path to more rational social relations.
accurate sharing of consciousness and "science of symbolism."
they view language as a necessary but flawed instrument: words... are at present a very imperfect means of communication.
Language ties us dangerously to our primeval origins.
Tens of thousands years have elapsed since we shed our tails, but we are still communicating with a medium developed to meet the needs of arboreal man.
the word-magic (beliefs that the name gives power over the thing) are still prominent in 20th century.
whereas propaganda preyed on atavistic word madness, semantic analysis would provide a medium of communication for the needs of modern scientific men and women.
Many troubles results from mixing the symbolic and emotive functions of languages - the same words being used at once to make statements and to excite attitudes. (one word, many uses.)
since meaning is in the mind of the beholder, the labyrinth of solipsism (the view or theory that the self is all that can be known to exist) always looms.
hence the horror of populating the universe with anchorless meaning.
Communication is not the coordination of action, but a matching of minds.
A language transaction or a communication may be defined as a use of symbols in such a way that acts of reference occur in a hearer which are similar in all relevant respects to those which are symbolized by them in the speakers.
The criterion of successful communication remains the identity of consciousness between speaker and hearer.
Psychology therefore remains the best science for studying communication.
contact between minds via some delicate and error-prone sign medium.
Communication is rare and fragile as crystal. Their mentalism (the theory that physical and psychological phenomena are ultimately explicable only in terms of a creative and interpretative mind) logically entails the specter of miscommunication.
Lippmann's remedy is expert (elite) rule. Ogden's remedy is to educate the public to raise the level of communication through direct study o fits conditions, its dangers and its difficulties.
The practical side of this undertaking is, if communication be taken in its widest sense, Education.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
What is communication?
Communications are the institutions and forms in which ideas, information, and attitudes are transmitted and received. They might include tombs, hieroglyphics, writing, coins, cathedrals, stamps, flags, clocks, the press, the post, telegraphy, photography, cinema, telephony, photography, radio, television, cable, computer, the Internet, multimedia, virtual reality, or any other signifying medium.
Communication is a project to help an individual to reconcile self and other.
Communication cannot solve the problems of communication.
(sometimes, to solve the problem of communication, you got to stop communicating.)
The experience of the WW I proved that symbols are not just aesthetic ornaments but prime movers of social organization. Strategically cultivated perceptions lost or won battle and sent men in the trenches to their graves.
If the mass will be free of chains of iron, it must accept its chains of silver.
if the will of the people, the feste burg of democratic theory, was little more than a bog of stereotypes, censorship, inattention, and libido to be manipulated by experts and demagogues, what did that say about he rationality of the public?
Popular irrationality could be both malleable and intransigent.
Walter Lippmann argue for the replacement of popular sovereignty with expert rule.
Carl Schmitt, the kronjurist for the Nazis, thought people's faith that government done through public discussion in a parliament that reflected public opinion in general was little more than a joke.
Georg Lucas thought party organization can crystalize class consciousness which is a critical part of public opinion. Therefore, the revolutionary process was inseparable from the development of class consciousness on the part of the proletariat and hence involved choosing the right slogans and rallying cries.
Neither communist nor liberal democracy believe in the spontaneous self-organization of popular will; each gave a major role to a "vanguard," whether of social scientific experts or intellectual party leaders.
Communication, in short, was conceived of as the power to bind a far-flung populace together for good or ill; it had the stuff to make or break political order.
Excerpt from Speaking into the Air
vanguard:
a group of people leading the way in new developments or ideas: the experimental spirit of the modernist vanguard.
a position at the forefront of new developments or ideas: the prototype was in the vanguard of technical development.
the foremost part of an advancing army or naval force.
Communication is a project to help an individual to reconcile self and other.
Communication cannot solve the problems of communication.
(sometimes, to solve the problem of communication, you got to stop communicating.)
The experience of the WW I proved that symbols are not just aesthetic ornaments but prime movers of social organization. Strategically cultivated perceptions lost or won battle and sent men in the trenches to their graves.
If the mass will be free of chains of iron, it must accept its chains of silver.
if the will of the people, the feste burg of democratic theory, was little more than a bog of stereotypes, censorship, inattention, and libido to be manipulated by experts and demagogues, what did that say about he rationality of the public?
Popular irrationality could be both malleable and intransigent.
Walter Lippmann argue for the replacement of popular sovereignty with expert rule.
Carl Schmitt, the kronjurist for the Nazis, thought people's faith that government done through public discussion in a parliament that reflected public opinion in general was little more than a joke.
Georg Lucas thought party organization can crystalize class consciousness which is a critical part of public opinion. Therefore, the revolutionary process was inseparable from the development of class consciousness on the part of the proletariat and hence involved choosing the right slogans and rallying cries.
Neither communist nor liberal democracy believe in the spontaneous self-organization of popular will; each gave a major role to a "vanguard," whether of social scientific experts or intellectual party leaders.
Communication, in short, was conceived of as the power to bind a far-flung populace together for good or ill; it had the stuff to make or break political order.
Excerpt from Speaking into the Air
vanguard:
a group of people leading the way in new developments or ideas: the experimental spirit of the modernist vanguard.
a position at the forefront of new developments or ideas: the prototype was in the vanguard of technical development.
the foremost part of an advancing army or naval force.
Monday, September 30, 2013
MA 260 / Week #1: My question
Why is it that the more elaborate our means of communication the less we communicate?
COM 111 / Week #1: My question
Question: What does mindfulness exactly mean in our interpersonal communication?
Sunday, September 29, 2013
COM 250 / Week #1 Discussion: My response
#1: Critical Thinking
#2: Encoding-Decoding
#3: Too Much Communication
#4: Social Science Approach vs. Interpretative Approach
#5: Privacy vs. Secrecy.
Please read the prompts in blackboard and post your response here. Use the number above to identify your response with a specific question. You can copy the prompt here and then post your response.
Caution: Your post here is searchable on the Internet. If you don't want to share some sensitive information with the public beyond our class, stay within the blackboard and don't post here.
#2: Encoding-Decoding
#3: Too Much Communication
#4: Social Science Approach vs. Interpretative Approach
#5: Privacy vs. Secrecy.
Please read the prompts in blackboard and post your response here. Use the number above to identify your response with a specific question. You can copy the prompt here and then post your response.
Caution: Your post here is searchable on the Internet. If you don't want to share some sensitive information with the public beyond our class, stay within the blackboard and don't post here.
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