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Quote by Alfred Korzybski

“If we do not objectify, and feel instinctively and permanently that words are not the things spoken about, then we could not speak abouth such meaningless subjects as the 'beginning' or the 'end' of time. But, if we are semantically disturbed and objectify, then, of course, since objects have a beginning and an end, so also would 'time' have a 'beggining' and an 'end'. In such pathological fancies the universe must have a 'beginning in time' and so must have been made., and all of our old anthropomorphic and objectified mythologies follow, including the older theories of entropy in physics. But, if 'time' is only a human form of representation and not an object, the universe has no 'beginning in time' and no 'end in time'; in other words, the universe is 'time'-less. The moment we realize, feel permanently, and utilize these realizations and feelings that words are not things, then only do we acquire the semantic freedom to use different forms of representation. We can fit better their structure to the facts at hand, become better adjusted to these facts which are not words, and so evaluate properly m.o (multi-ordinal) realities, which evaluation is important for sanity.”

Quote by Alfred Korzybski

Book:Science and Sanity: An Introduction to Non-Aristotelian Systems and General Semantics
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Science and Sanity: An Introduction to Non-Aristotelian Systems and General Semantics

This book delves into the principles of non-Aristotelian systems and general semantics, challenging traditional scientific paradigms. It provides a foundational understanding of these concepts, aiming to enhance critical thinking and communication. more

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Alfred Korzybski
Alfred Korzybski

Alfred Korzybski, born on July 3, 1879 in Poland and died on March 1, 1950 in the United States, was a renowned philosopher, writer, and scientist. He is best known for his research on language, thought, and cognition, which had a profound impact on the fields of cognitive science and linguistics. Korzybski's most famous contribution is the 'Korzybski Hypothesis,' which states that human thought is limited by language and symbols. This theory has had a significant influence on the development of cognitive science and linguistics. more

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“There are several important remarks which can be made about this 'absolute emptiness' and 'absolute nothingness'. First of all, we now know, theoretically and empirically, that such a thing does not exist. There may be more or less of something, but never an unlimited 'perfect vacuum'. In the second place, our nervous make-up, being in accord with experience, is such that 'absolute emptiness' requires 'outside walls'. The question at once arises, is the world 'finite' or 'infinite'? If we say 'finite', it has to have outside walls, and then the question arises: What is 'behind the walls'? If we say it is 'infinite', the problem of the psychological 'walls' is not eliminated. and we still have the semantic need for walls, and then ask what is beyond the walls. So we see the such a world suspended in some sort of an 'absolute void' represents a nature against human nature, and so we had to invent something supernatural to account for such assumed nature against human nature. In the third place, and this remark is the most fundamental of all, because a symbol must stand for something to be a symbol at all, 'absolute nothingness' cannot be objective and cannot be symbolized at all. This ends the argument, as all we may say about it is neither true nor false, but non-sense. We can make noises, but say nothing about the external world. It is easy to see that 'absolute nothingness' is a label for a semantic disturbance, for verbal objectification, for a pathological state inside our skin, for a fancy, but not a symbol, for a something which has objective existence outside our skin.”

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Book:Science and Sanity: An Introduction to Non-Aristotelian Systems and General Semantics
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