The Basic to General Semantics

“No two of anything in this world have been found ‘identical’, absolutely the same in all respects. Similarities are abstracted by neglecting the differences. Too often we discriminate against rather than between individuals. Differences must not be obscured by habits of identification. Language use must represent both similarities and differences.” – Irving J. Lee

General Semantics termed as a scientific study of language which generalizes the principles and methods of modern science to all areas of human activity. This theory of General Semantics originated with Alfred Korzybski, a Polish engineer in 1933 as the name for a general theory of evaluation, which in application turned out to be an empirical science, giving methods for general human adjustment in our private, public and professional lives. This hypothesis was first presented in Korzybski’s major cumulative work “Science and Sanity: An Introduction to Non-Aristotelian Systems and General semantics,” where he explained how language habits are inadequate in our common world today.

In the early 21st century, human relationship is at a stake. Because the structure of our forms of representation (language, etc.) is not found to be of pivotal importance in the human cultures in the present time. So, Korzybski by-passed the mythological dogmas and enquired, “what is the unique characteristics of humans which makes them human?” He observed anew that each human generation has the potential capacity, unlike animals, to start where former generation left off. He analyzed the neurological and socio-cultural processes by which man can create, preserve and transmit what they have learnt individually to future generations. Korzybski emphasized that language is an important part of our environment. Our language environment consists of books, newspaper, radio, television, novels, poems, films, plays and many other forms that create picture inside our heads. This is predominantly a verbal environment that creates ‘meanings’ inside our nervous system. He called the meanings inside of us our “neuro-semantic environment”. ‘Neuro’ refers to our nervous system and ‘semantic’ refers to meanings. As semantics starts with the assumption that meanings are inside of words, General semantics starts with the assumption that meanings are inside of people- which they are. Meanings are not in words rather these are in our heads, in our nervous systems, in our responses. Words do not mean, people mean.

General Semantics can be referred to as a general system of evaluation and awareness. It provides a systematic methodology to understand how people relate to the world around them, how they react to their reaction, and they may adjust their behavior accordingly. The meanings that they give to words are (may be) different than the meanings that other people give to the same words. Meanings are not in words, they are inside of people. Our language environment creates picture inside of our heads that may or may not conform to the world of reality. As language provides the means and the environment by which this evaluative process occurs, much of General Semantics deals with the studying the effects of language (and other symbol systems) on our behavior The picture inside of our head is not the world of reality outside of us. In a later sense, General semantics deals with the study of how we perceive, construct, evaluate and communicate our life experiences. It is a neurological, psychological, anthropological attitude toward meaning.

Alfred Korzybski, with his subject General Semantics, introduced a bunch of principles which are conducive to the whole system view.

Using the Scientific method to solve the problem

To solve everyday problems more effectively, General Semantics advocates the use of the scientific method (observe—test– evaluate). An important advantage of applying this operational definition is to avoid the confusion of finding out the exact meaning of a term as so many confusions are fairly common in everyday life because many of the words we use in our day to day life are abstractions that can have a variety of meanings.

Distinguishing Facts from Inferences to avoid wrong conclusions

To make accurate assessments of situations, and to avoid jumping to wrong conclusions about them, it is useful to know how to distinguish facts from inferences. One of the important reasons that we jump to conclusions is that we have never been taught the difference between a statement of fact and a statement involving an inference, an assumption, or a guess. Because our reactions are automatic and trigger-like which lead toward misevaluations and misunderstandings.

Dangers lurking in assumptions

One of the reasons why we have misevaluations is that we make certain false assumptions, and they are usually on the unconscious level. These false unconscious assumptions lead toward thinking, communicating, or behavior errors or problems. As words are ambiguous, they seem to be different when people assume what they mean or interpret. But what words mean to you and to others can be two entirely different things. When we assume too much, this is how we spell it, ‘Ass-U-Me’ – it makes an ass of you and me.

The value of Delayed Reactions

To make effective evaluations and decisions, General Semantics recommends the use of delayed reactions. This technique, which involves the human ability to consciously engage one’s higher brain functions and delay enough to evaluate something before reacting to it, tends to produce much better results in situations than reacting quickly or impulsively.

The assumption of knowing all is “allness orientation”

There is so much knowledge and information in the world that no one can know everything about anything. We are tremendously limited in our acquaintance with things. If we don’t know about something we should be willing to admit our own ignorance. Sometime we set up an ‘allness’ barrier to communication that is hard to break in. Because we assume “we know it all”, we don’t or won’t listen to others. People who refuse to say “I don’t know” seldom search for the answers. Those afflicted with “allness” put a period or an exclamation mark after their statement, as if no more can be said. This “know it all” attitude is an over compensation for a feeling of intellectual inadequacy. Those who are psychologically able to say “I don’t know” usually search further for the answers. This is a scientific attitude. The aim is, “I don’t know, let’s see” which leads toward further learning, testing and searching.

The ‘extensional theory of happiness’

General Semantics contends that to reach a measure of contentment and a sense of success, we ought to form reasonable expectation, work hard, and be prepared to not get exactly what we want. General Semantics suggests not hanging so much on to expectations. The world of reality changes and the expectations must change with it. Some people live in a dream world of false expectations and fantasies perpetuate a child-like existence. Maturity means being realistic about yourself today. You can mentally separate your expectations from your motivation, drive, goal and ambition. Keep your motivation high but must learn to make your expectations realistic – lowering your expectations. This will no way affect your motivation, goal, drive or desire if you separate the two mentally.

The map is not the territory

There is an analogy in General Semantics that words and statements are like maps that describe territories. The purpose of the analogy is to remind us those words, like maps, only represents reality and is not reality itself. To find out how well words represent reality. General Semantics suggests it is a good idea to check the map against the territory – examine what is being labeled or described to see if the words that that describe it accurately portray what is really going on. The world is what it is. We can make all kinds of maps and models of how the world works, and some of them can be very useful, and we can talk about them with great benefit. But the models and maps and any words one can put together can never do more than approximate the actual world or the actual phenomena being examined. The actual territory is beyond all verbal description.

1. A map is not the territory.
2. A map does not represent all of a territory.

Applied to daily life and language:

1. A word is not what it represents.
2. A word does not represent all of the ‘facts,’ etc.

As General Semantics is a new paradigm, a synthesis of methods of science and the functioning of the human nervous system yields a new ‘non-Aristotlian’ system of evaluating, but fundamentally more general and the absolute approve of looking at life with a new way. General Semantics does not attribute a separate reality to essence rather it attributes our appreciations of essence as a natural ability of our nervous system to perform abstractions. We attribute such essences to the processes of our nervous system and not to any separate reality. The realm of essences existing as a separate reality becomes an extraneous postulate which is no longer needed to account for our observations. General semantics simply discards that realm of essences as unnecessary.