The most important premise of General Semantics has been succinctly expressed as
"The map is not the territory; the word is not the thing defined".[1] While
Aristotle wrote that a true definition gives the essence of the thing defined
(in Greek to ti ên einai, literally “the what it was to be”
, General Semantics
denies the possibility of describing such an essence. The non-Aristotelian
nature of General Semantics represents an evolution in human evaluative
orientation much as non-Euclidean geometry represents an evolution in
mathematical representation of spacial relationships.
[edit] Other aspects of the system
There are more elements, but these three in particular stand out:
* Time binding: The human ability to pass information and knowledge between
generations at an accelerating rate. Korzybski claimed this to be a unique
capacity, separating us from other animals. Animals pass knowledge, but not at
an exponential rate, i.e. each generation of animals does things pretty much in
the same way as the previous generation. For example, at one time most human
societies were hunter-gatherers, but now more advanced means of food production
(growing, raising, or buying it) predominate. Excepting some insects (e.g.
ants), other animals are still looking, i.e. they don't grow or raise food.
* Silence on the objective levels: As 'the word is not the thing it
represents,' Korzybski stressed the nonverbal experiencing of our inner and
outer environments. During these periods of training, one would become
"outwardly and inwardly silent."
* The system advocates a general orientation by extension rather than
intension, by relational facts rather than assumed properties, an attitude,
regardless of how expressed in words, that, for example, George 'does things
that seem foolish to me,' rather than that he is 'a fool.'
esgs.free.fr/uk/art/sands.htm
