Language and its discontents

el falso enemigo

Authors

  • Oliver Leaman Univeristy of Kentucky United States

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24310/Claridadescrf.v14i2.13577

Keywords:

Buddhism, False enemies, False friends, Forgeting, Hbrew Bible, Islam, Language

Abstract

The concept of false friends suggests that language is essentially misleading. Words seem to be similar to each other, but in fact often are not. This is an aspect of the general view in philosophy and religion that language is confusing. There is scope for linking the concept of false friends with the idea of false enemies, where terms appear to be opposite to each other and yet perhaps are not as polarized in reality. In fact, it is sometimes argued that we forget how things are really linked up. So we are typically frightened and upset by death, yet it is sometimes argued that it is unreasonable to see it as something to which we ought to be opposed. Death is a false enemy and the language that surrounds it acts to point us in erroneous directions. It is suggested that just as language is replete with false friends, false enemies may also be a significant feature. The result is to reinforce the thesis that language has to be approached with caution.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

References

Chamizo-Domínguez, Pedro J. (2008): Semantics and Pragmatics of False Friends. Abingdon: Routledge.

Lattimore, Richard (1970): Greek Lyrics. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Leaman, Oliver (2011): Islamic Philosophy. Oxford: Wiley.

Levinas, Emmanuel (1996): Emmanuel Levinas: Basic Philosophical Writings, Adriaan Peperzak, Simon Critchley, and Robert Bernasconi, eds. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.

Watson, Burton, trans. (1968): The Complete Works of Chuang Tzu. New York: Columbia University Press.

Zhuangzi (1956): Zhuangzi Yinde ????Concordance to Zhuangzi). Harvard-Yenching Institute Sinological Index Series, no. 20 (Suppl). Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

Published

2022-11-14

How to Cite

Leaman, O. (2022). Language and its discontents: el falso enemigo. Claridades. Revista De filosofía, 14(2), 155–166. https://doi.org/10.24310/Claridadescrf.v14i2.13577

Issue

Section

REFLEXIONES Y COMENTARIOS