Hey Erin,
> Erin: I guess I don't really understand why you are trying to separate
culture
> from the environment and language. Part of a culture is the thought
patterns
> it produces and if the language/environment influence that then why does
it
> bother you that Hindus don't build snowmen. I will be happy to go back to
> your issue but I am not sure exactly what it is..
rick:
The question is whether Hindus CAN'T see the difference, or DON'T see the
difference.
PIRSIG:
"...Eskimos see sixteen different forms of snow and ice which are as
different to them as trees and shrubs are different to us. Hindus, on the
other hand, use the same term for both ice and snow..."
rick:
The question is if I sat the Hindu down and showed him the 16 different
forms of snow and ice would he be INCAPABLE of seeing the differences? Even
if I have an Eskimo point the differences out? Or would he simply not pick
up on the differences because he didn't know what to look for... because
he's never seen 16 different kinds of snow before. Only if the Hindu was
downright incapable of seeing the differences would this be evidence of the
notion that language/culture influences actual perception. Otherwise, it's
only evidence that people are more familiar with things they're more
familiar with.
> >rick:
> >It's gray because whether or not language influences 'perception' depends
on
> >how far cultural sources of intellectuality (like language) have been
> >instilled in the particular individual having the experience.
>
>
> ERIN: Let me see if I am interpreting you right, the larger the vocab
the
> grayer percpetion?
rick:
Hey, that's not bad. I wasn't thinking about it quite in those terms, but
now that you put it that way.... Remember when you wrote, "I always thought
as the Eskimos as just having a lot of exposure to snow and sort of become
experts in that area and the language reflects that expertise." Well, I'm
just sort of taking that thought back a step... Some cultures just have a
lot of exposure to language and sort of become 'experts' in that area and
their perceptions reflect that 'expertise'... ...you know what I mean?
rick
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