Language and concepts

Concepts and words are not equal < Signal13 > 03/13 23:13:56

To draw an analogy to programming, concepts are rich data structures, and words are pointers to those structures. For example, we all know what the concept of love is. But the word "love" is just a label for the multitude of feelings that we associate with the concept. The question "what is love?" is a dereferencing; you are trying to get to the meaning behind the word.

To answer a question you didn't ask, then, yes, it is possible to have concepts without words to describe them. For example, I knew that some people can find perverse joy in other people's misfortunes, but not until recently did I learn the word "schadenfreude".

An example of non-verbal thought:
Let's say you see you pretty girl (or guy) at the local coffee shop. You're looking at her and imagining all the fun things you can do with her. You're definitely having thoughts, but almost none of it is in words.

Now imagine me sitting here trying to answer your question. Most of my thoughts are in the form of language, because it gives me the power to label these abstract concepts and make them manageable. Philosophy isn't like boobs; you can't put your finger on it without using words.

War story

This happened years ago.

I loved playing Battlefield 2 and had logged hundreds of hours in an attack chopper, but my favorite moment in the game was as commander of the US Marines on Wake Island. The US forces had taken the beach and were fighting hard to get across the bridge to the main island, but the Chinese had tanks and snipers covering it, so the fighting was at a stalemate. I called in artillery on the Chinese position whenever I could, and after one sat-scan I noticed a friendly blip on the Chinese side, among about a dozen red blips; one of my soldiers had swam across and penetrated enemy lines. I thought, "oh well, he's not going to live very long being surrounded like that," so I ordered artillery on that position anyway. Collateral damage, etc.

Next time artillery was ready (a few minutes later), I scanned over and that US soldier was STILL THERE. I got on comm with him and said "how are you still alive? I bombed the crap out of that hill. How many kills do you have?" "I don't know, I lost track," he said. Apparently this guy was sneaking behind enemy lines and killing dozens of enemies, evading tanks, taking medkits from Chinese medics, knifing snipers, and just being a badass Rambo. He had over 20 kills in a game where being on foot means your life expectancy is less than 50 seconds.

I was so blown away; I felt like I had to get him out or at least help him, so I asked the Seahawk pilot to fly over and extract him. Meanwhile I gave him everything I could: flying UAV scans, spotting targets for him. By this time there was probably a whole bunch of pissed-off Chinese hunting for him, but I kept spotting them for him so he'd be ready to shoot. By the time the chopper got there he scored 4 or 5 more kills.

Then a noob J-10 pilot kamikazed his plane into the chopper and blew them up. War sucks.

Possibilities using current technology

• A fully 3D, navigable Google streetview. Right now each view is a panoramic photo wrapped around to give the illusion of perspective. You can navigate using the standard WASD keys, but the camera is stuck on a rail (the Google streetview van). There's software being developed that can automatically construct 3D geometry based on photos. Using the vast database of panoramas from Google, it is possible to recreate entire cities down to the pedestrian level, with freely changeable perspective. I'm guessing the Google team already has a working alpha.
  
  
• Streaming games that are rendered at powerful graphics servers. Why spend 1000$ for a machine that can play Crysis when you can stream video output from rendering farms? Most of us already have enough bandwidth to stream HD media. The main problem will be lag, due to the need to have a streaming buffer of a second or so. I'm sure programmers can find a way around that. Word is AMD is already working on this, but if this becomes successful it will destroy their market for PC video cards.
  
  
• Combine the two technologies above to get fully realized virtual cities. I hear Tokyo is beautiful this time of year.
  

Time travel

Sometimes when I glance up at the clock, I see the second hand moving backwards. But it quickly resumes its regular motion, like an office worker just noticing the presence of his boss.

All is possible

a poet that writes poems without words.

a composer who create symphonies out of the elements; rain, wind, fire, waves

a mathematician who constructs shadows of infinite dimensions

an architect who melds water and sky into his floating palaces

a director that blends dreams into movies and reality into dreams

a writer who tells an endless story, because the story is a journey of infinite possibilities

the philosopher who understands that the best paintings are undrawn, the best music is unsung, and the best path is the one not taken

8 years ago

I'm pretty sure the Onion has a staff of psychics and precogs. Evidence.

Re: Plato's Cave

"We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we voyage far." - HP Lovecraft, "Call of Cthulhu"