Words, Concepts, and Context

Language is perhaps the most defining human quality we possess.  The ability to communicate with one another verbally (through spoken or signed words) and symbolically as in the use of written words has permitted humans to engage with the world; to define it and to some extent design it.  Language has allowed us to think beyond our world to ponder and comprehend realms beyond our solar system and galaxy.

We communicate in a variety of languages and dialects, but within every language is found concepts and contextual constructs that are common to most.  Modern languages are slowly merging.  English, for example, is a mix of several languages, adding and adopting words to capture the meaning of new concepts every year. 

Language came into being as a way to communicate differing and diverse experiences through use of sound and symbol which then evolved into words and increasingly complex constructs known as concepts.  All language eventually became concept-based. With the development of different parts of speech and through their combined use an individual was enabled to convey complex concepts to other individuals and groups in the form of information sharing or education.

Concepts, in turn, allow us to string them together to from context which adds greater clarity to what we mean and to our understanding.  The meaning of a concept depends on how it is being used contextually. People can say the same thing and mean something entirely different depending on the context they have in mind.  Humor is dependent on employing this principle as a play on words; saying something that offers a specific connotation within a context that wouldn't normally apply.  Speaking in code is another example of using common concepts within a certain context to hide a cryptic meaning known only to one who understands the code. 

Conversely, people can contextually discuss the same thing but use different concepts to do so.  This often forms the basis for argument or debate because concepts can acquire fixed meanings within a contextual setting. The most common example of this is found in politics where politicians engage in debate over a premise and attempt to frame the context of the premise using conceptual terms favorable to their and their constituents' point of view.

Language is abstract; in that, language is a mental distillation of  human experience into representational forms for the purpose of broader communication and the dissemination of information. Regardless of the language one is using, assigned nominal words and fixed concepts mean the same things in most languages and that is why we can translate something spoken or written in one language to another language. The development of language, of concept and context didn't just happen; it evolved from the human endeavor to understand, differentiate, and identify in a corollary manner the experiences of life. If something isn't identifiable, it cannot be conceptualized and has no use, no meaning, and no known existence.

Words, concepts, and contexts are so vital to understanding ourselves, the world, and the universe in which we live that all other devices and tools created by us to comprehend and fabricate the world in which we live would not have happened.  We would not have science of any kind, craftsmanship of any kind, art of any kind, religion of any kind or history of any kind.

It is hoped that by delving briefly into the role of  words, concepts, and context the stage is set for further posts on religion.  Words, concepts, and contexts are important.  In forthcoming posts I will offer some thoughts on particular words and concepts germane to the topic of religion and Christianity in particular.

Until then, stay faithful.