Publicity

As printed in the 20 November 2007 edition of DNA (Daily News & Analysis), Mumbai edition.
By Prachi Rege

Our assumptions could lead to major communication problems. Prachi Rege attends a seminar on General Semantics — a theory that makes us aware of our behaviour thereby setting a base for effective communication.

The daily experiences that you undergo do not or rather cannot include everything under the sun. It is because of this limitation in human beings that we tend to take situations in our life for granted. A recent seminar on General Semantics held at the SP Jain Institute of Management and Research tried to articulate this problem.

General Semantics is based on the premise that language does not exist apart from the human beings who create, use, and modify that language. Steve Stockdale, executive director, Institute of General Semantics, Fort Worth, Texas, who addressed the seminar, gave the example of taboo terms with reference to English songs. According to him every language has certain taboo terms. None of the 26 letters in English are obscene in themselves, but when Madonna composes her song where is the melody of the words lost?

However, General Semantics is different from Semantics, as the former deals with the behavioral aspect whereas the latter is concerned with the meaning in the words itself.

General Semantics is also a proper evaluation of language and the effects of language and is concerned with these aspects of human behavior. These include perception, construction, evaluation, and communication of our life experiences. Stockdale explains the process of human inference through a diagram. This begins with an acronym WIGO (what is going on) – this is the real world, next is our sensory perception, then the description, followed by our inference of our world. He illustrates this with a corporate example wherein an employee who comes late to work is signified as lazy by default. No one considers the extenuating circumstances that he/she might have faced.

So how does one apply general semantics? According to Stockdale, self-awareness is the best way to apply this methodology. This includes being aware of the situation one is involved in without coming to hasty conclusions. At the Institute it is part of the mass communication course. Here the students are taught to relate the principles of general semantics to their chosen professional fields like Journalism, Advertising, and Public Relations.

Absolutism in communication is another concept that general semantics attacks. How many times do you make the statement “the exact same situation happened four years ago?” asks Stockdale. He refers to the proverb “no two snowflakes are the same” and hence the absolutism must be dropped. According to him the word “best” is violated almost in every sentence, he sights examples of advertising slogans like “The Best Dressed Man,” “Best Holiday Destination,” etc. These slogans, Steve explains manipulates the communication.

Similarly he cites the example of politicians who use absolutism to communicate against their opponents or propagate certain ideas to fulfill their vested interests.

Stockdale reasons that we cannot live without assumptions, but the problem occurs when we start treating them as facts. So, one can follow general semantics by a systematic perception of life experiences rather than an obscure one.

Sidebar: Some Common Mistakes While Speaking

• Confusing the word itself with what the word stands for.
• Acting as if the meaning of the words used is contained solely in the word, without considering context or the individuals.
• Confusing facts with our inferences, assumptions, beliefs, etc.
• Not accounting for the many “shades of gray” and looking at things as black or white, right or wrong, good or bad.
• Using language to ‘separate’ that which in the actual world cannot be separated, such as space from time, mind from body, thinking from feeling.

Reprinted with permission from: Centre for Contemporary Theory, Vadodara, Gujarat, India
 
        

Twelfth National Workshop Cognitive Language Skills for the 21st Century

3rd – 5th November 2007
A Report
One of the dominant concerns of contemporary social and political theory and one which has engaged if not captured the attention of theorizing since the beginning of the Enlightenment is the idea of human progress. Human progress, which may be broadly understood as such movement and advance which render the world more just, ethical and meaningful in the general analysis of those who construct or inhabit it, has and continues to constitute the basis of much of modern thought.

Philosophers as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Immanuel Kant, F G W Hegel, Giambattista Vico, August Comte, Max Weber and Herbert Spencer among others sought to ascertain and legitimize an essential relationship between the progress of mankind and the reason/rationality of the individual self. Through their different theoretical narratives such philosophers demonstrated how reason would further progress by purging the human world of conflict, violence and wars.

Any conceptual analysis of the idea of human progress today would however necessitate a comparative reading of the advancements we as humans have achieved in the scientific technical world with that which we have realized in our social and political worlds. It would compel us to ask why our rapid advances and progress in the sciences, engineering, medicine and technology have not been matched in relatively equal terms with advances in our social and moral world. Why has growth and development in the sciences been governed by instrumental reason while the social and political experiences and behavior continue to be characterized and guided by suspicion, bigotry and intolerance?

It is the imperative to pursue and attempt to respond to this question that remains the focus of Alfred Korzybski’s many works, notable among which are Manhood of Humanity (1921), Time-Binding: The General Theory (1924) and Science and Sanity (1933). According to Korzybski, it is possible as well as desirable to apply and make relevant the attitudes and methodologies that are responsible for the advances in the scientific world to the social and political world, and it is to study and work out such possibilities that he established the new interdisciplinary body of knowledge labeled “General Semantics” as well as the Institute of General Semantics in 1938 at Texas, USA. General Semantics may be understood as a broad system of evaluation and responsiveness. Since language provides the means through which such evaluation and responsiveness occurs, much of General Semantics deals with studying the relationship between language and behavior. It is concerned with the studying the manner and processes through which humans perceive, construct, evaluate and communicate their lived experiences in a way which minimizes violence and conflict. General Semantics as an interdisciplinary area of understanding is rather unfamiliar to Indian academic institutions. However its relevance for India may be difficult to undervalue particularly when we witness India’s economic and scientific development coupled with increasing instances of violence, cruelty and bigotry.

It is to underscore the relevance and imperative to study General Semantics that the Forum on Contemporary Theory organized its Twelfth National Workshop on Cognitive Language Skills for the 21st Century between 3rd and 5th November 2007 at the Center for Contemporary Theory, Vadodara. The Forum here must acknowledge the contribution, commitment and support it has received from Shri Balvantbhai Parekh, Chairman, Trivenikalyan Foundation. In addition to being an accomplished industrialist as well as a well meaning philanthropist Balvantbhai Parekh is the first and perhaps only member of the Institute of General Semantics in India. The Forum’s organization of this National Workshop was possible only through his unfailing initiative, encouragement and support, and we at the Forum express our deep sense of appreciation and gratitude to him.

The Workshop was conducted by three resource persons, namely Andrea Johnson, President of the Board of Trust of the Institute of General Semantics, Steve Stockdale, Executive Director of the Institute of General Semantics and Pramod Pandey, Professor of Linguistics at the Department of Language, Literature and Culture Studies at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. The participants comprised of research scholars and teachers from many different universities of the country pursuing such varied disciplines as English Literature and Language, Sociology, Linguistics, History, Political Science, Philosophy and Art History. The Workshop was also attended by a senior bureaucrat as well as a medical practitioner. The Workshop included course sessions, public lectures as well as participants’ presentations.

In her public lecture titled “Language-Attitude Behavior: Constructing Individual Realities” Andrea Johnson introduced some of the central arguments and assumptions of General Semantics, some of which are time-binding, uncertainty and et cetera. Using the analogy of a map and the territory she demonstrated how language can never certainly and comprehensively grasp or capture meaning in its entirety. Steve Stockdale in his public lecture titled “Some Basic Understanding and Justification of General Semantics” underscored the need to build bridges of understanding, which he asserted could be accomplished through the approach of General Semantics. He questioned the assumptions of certainty, conformity and conviction in the process of understanding as the basis of violence and intolerance. In a lecture titled “Is There a Western Way of Thinking?” Pramod Pandey brought out the interrelationship between modern and non-modern perspectives of language and knowledge. Employing the idea of Argumentative Reasoning, he vigorously demonstrated the differences and similarities between western and non-western paradigms of knowledge.

A central and commendable aspect of the Forum’s Workshops has been the participants informed involvement. In this Workshop the contribution and involvement of the participants was marked and meaningful. A number of participants proffered and presented rich and critical insights on the idea of General Semantics, which were truly appreciated and applauded by the resource persons. The Institute of General Semantics has committed to the publication of some of these presentations in its quarterly journal called ETC: A Review of General Semantics.

One of the many measures of a successful and substantively relevant academic meet is the promise of continuity and collaborative effort. To that extent, this Workshop organized by the Forum provided the occasion and opportunity for a meaningful and academically relevant relationship between the Forum on Contemporary Theory and the Institute of General Semantics. It also occasioned the strengthening and nurturing of our relationship with Shri Parekh, who was graciously present throughout the Workshop. With this Workshop, the Forum has contributed in a noteworthy way to the inauguration and introduction of the process of learning and understanding General Semantics in the country.

SS Note: Mr. Parekh and Prafulla Kar arranged for the first national teacher training workshop to be conducted at Mumbai University in May 2008, as shown in this short report.

As of 14 Nov 2020, this video is temporarily unavailable due to webhost migration. Please check back soon.

As printed in the 6 November 2007 edition of DIVYA BHASKAR DAILY, Gujarat, India.

General Semantics is a topic somewhat unfamiliar to the common man, but it concerns something that plays a very significant role in our daily life. The twelfth National Workshop of the Forum for Contemporary Theory, titled “Cognitive Language Skills for Twenty First Century,” discussed extensively details of General Semantics.

Dr. (sic) Andrea Johnson, President of the Institute of General Semantics, U.S.A., and Dr. (sic) Steven Stockdale, its Executive Director, conducted the workshop.

This distinguished National Workshop was planned and organized by Mr. Balvant K. Parekh, Chairman of the Pidilite Industries, India, and President of the Triveni Kalyan Foundation. Speaking to Divya Bhaskar, Mr Balvant Parekh said that he had first read about General Semantics, some twenty-five years back, in the journal, ETC: A Review of General Semantics.

General Semantics, Mr. Balvant Parekh said, has been useful to him in every aspect of life, personal, social and professional. “In my professional work within my industry, I had noticed that my employees would, at times, understand what I had told them quite differently from what I intended to convey. General Semantics was useful at such times in solving problems of communication.”

Mr. Steven Stockdale, Executive Director of the Institute of General Semantics, told Divya Bhaskar that General Semantics is of key importance in our keeping away from the conflicts, which result from unfulfilled expectations of our subconscious arising out of multiple possibilities before it. General Semantics enables us to keep away from generalizations and to avoid evaluating situations through prejudices.”

Talking to Divya Bhaskar, Ms. Andrea Johnson, President, said, “General Semantics is not limited strictly to academic reading and information. Only when it is assimilated into life through meditative processes, could it be put into action. General Semantics enables us to avoid coming under undue influence of any single factor and to examine all the different aspects of a situation in order to reach a proper conclusion. People who can question themselves are more readily able to grasp this subject. They are then able to understand that language is a symbolic expression, not a final verdict.”

I contributed to the book by a mentor, Dr. Helen Harkness, Capitalizing on Career Chaos: Bringing Creativity and Purpose to Your Work and Life, (2005, Nicholas Brealey Publishing, ISBN 0-89106-209-2). Following are the excerpts that document my case study.

Success Based on the Authentic Self (p. 41)

Steve graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1976 and served in the air force as an instructor navigator in the KC-135 air refueling aircraft until 1982. Then he left the military and began a career in the defense industry. Although he put his generalist skills to good use with diverse responsibilities in engineering, finance, marketing, and project management, he always felt a bit like a fish out of water.

Steve decided to cut back on his defense industry job so he could create more time for his passion — writing and teaching about the field known as general semantics. He had served since 1996 as a trustee for the Institute of General Semantics in New Jersey and felt this work was worthy of as much of his time as he could allow. He envisioned working as a part-time consultant so that he could devote more time to the Institute.

Steve boldly ventured out onto a very thin limb. He quit his defense industry job to start an Internet-based business to cater to adult singles. He was convinced this demographic group had a unique set of needs and offered a business opportunity, but he couldn’t figure out how to make money with it.

In June 2001, he abandoned that idea, sold his house, traded down cars, put his belongings in storage, and decided he would look for a teaching job. Two months of researching and learning about the Texas public school bureaucracy relieved him of that notion.

Embracing his career uncertainty, Steve loaded his car and traveled around the western United States. He was visiting relatives in Washington on September 11, 2001. He immediately headed back home to Dallas. On the way there, he learned that the Institute of General Semantics in New Jersey needed someone to organize sixty years of archives and library materials.

Given his interest in and knowledge of the organization, and the fact that he wasn’t doing anything else, he volunteered to spend the next three months in New Jersey working in the archives. That led to a part-time job for him with the Institute beginning in 2002, which led to him moving the archives and library to an office in Fort Worth. Steve became the full-time executive director of the organization in January 2004, when the Institute moved to Fort Worth. Steve’s career is now in line with his authentic self.

ACTIVITY 1: Finding Clues to Your Meaning Magnets (p. 64)

Obtain a small notebook to carry in your purse or pocket for one month.

• Each time you identify a factor deeply and unquestionably essential in your personal and professional life, write it down.
• Jot down any “ah-has!” that occur to you.
• Think about your daydreams and aspirations and record those you can remember.
• Think about their relationship to each other and to your current career and past careers. Are there elements that tie daydreams and aspirations together?

Steve’s Meaning Magnets

When Steve, the former air force instructor navigator who wanted to work in the field of semantics, began looking at his Meaning Magnets, he discovered he wanted to:

• Leave his mark on the people and organizations he became involved with;
• Improve things, to make people/things work or operate better, and pass on these improvements or lessons learned to others;
• Make a difference;
• March to his own drummer.

Steve’s Accomplishments (p. 67)

The final accomplishment I related concerned a one-act play I wrote for a creative writing class I took at the Air Force Academy. The play, “The Unveiling of Ourselves,” was written as a morality play to express concerns I had at the time regarding the failure of people to assert their independence and individuality while falling victim to either the influence of peer pressures or the seduction of the ways of the world.

Reflecting back on that theme years later, I’m amazed that, in a sense, my entire adult life has been spent grappling with the same issues that the protagonist faced in trying to unveil his own true self. The play won an award for the best one-act play and was published in the annual collection of creative writing produced by the Department of English and Fine Arts.

Here are some of the talents, skills, and abilities I learned I have:

• Creativity and intelligence;
• A sense of responsibility to perform, to accomplish, and to improve on the activities I participate in;
• Ability to function within a team or organizational environment, while also maintaining an obvious individuality and nonconforming attitude.

I thought about how easy it has been for me to overlook and underappreciate my own talents and skills and about how I tend to erroneously assume that what comes easy to me does so for everybody else.

Steve’s Success Criteria

For my success criteria — my glass balls — I want and need the following:

• To interact with knowledgeable, competent people;
• To be free from financial worries on a modest scale: not motivated to make money, just not having to worry about making money;
• Positive recognition;
• Flexibility to organize, plan, communicate, synthesize, and so on, according to my own priorities.