The beginner’s mind is eager, open, and free from preconceptions. Sure, experts know a whole lot about their chosen field, but that very expertise (alloyed with a heavy dose of often tragicomic ὕβρις) can lead said experts to think they know a lot about every field
With this in mind, we set out to tap the untapped potential and plumb the unplumbed depths of the Beginner’s Mind, revealing how that may be able to cut through complex philosophical questions and reveal deep, hidden truths.
Let us Begin.
KК&’E: What is language?
BM: Language is just a way to put your thoughts into someone else’s head using air and vibrating mouth meat.
KК&’E: Are all languages related?
BM: Certainly! Every dialect is just a corrupted version of the original.
KК&’E: Do animals have language?
BM: Yes. In fact, most cats actually know English, but they refuse to speak it because they believe they are naturally superior to people.
KК&’E: Does language use train or habituate speakers to certain cognitive habits that differ between speakers of different languages?
BM: Of course! Germans are punctual because their verbs wait until the very end of the sentence, and people who speak French naturally perceive the world in soft focus and smell like expensive baguettes.
KК&’E: Is translation possible?
BM: No.
KК&’E: ¿Por qué no?
BM: Porque.
KК&’E: Is there an objective way to determine which are the most difficult languages?
BM: Just learn them all and see which one is the hardest. But you don’t need to, because you can communicate with anyone if you just talk in your own language slower and a lot louder.
KК&’E: Is it possible to use linguistic (rather than social) criteria to draw a clear boundary between two closely related languages with a dialect continuum between their respective standard forms (e.g. Occitan and Catalan)?
BM: Just look at the alphabet; if they add a tiny hat to the letter n, for example, then it’s a different language.
KК&’E: How are infants able to learn language?
BM: Infants possess a primal wisdom that adults lose once they start eating solid food and paying taxes.
KК&’E: How and when did language originate?
BM: Language began when a caveman dropped a rock on his toe and invented the first very interjection.
KК&’E: Do new languages appear suddenly or gradually?
BM: Languages happen when two people from different places get stuck on a boat and have to invent a new way to yell at each other.
KК&’E: What makes a good dictionary?
BM: The best dictionary is the one that includes every word I personally use and excludes any word that sounds made up.
KК&’E: What is a syllable?
BM: Syllables are the Lego bricks of talking, and you just snap them together in the right order to build a word.
KК&’E: What is a word?
BM: Words are the Lego bricks of talking, and you just snap them together in the right order to build a sentence.
KК&’E: What is a sentence?
BM: Sentences are the Lego bricks of talking, and you just snap them together in the right order to build a story.
KК&’E: What does gavagai mean?
BM: It is a sophisticated instantiation of native wisdom that identifies which anthropologists are actually good at listening.
Enlightenment!