True Expression of Ideas
Everyone thinks. All people have ‘ideas' or ‘thoughts'. They see the world about them, and remember what is seen. They make summations from the facts which are experienced, draw conclusions, and make these the bases of their actions. Humankind is a thinking being (Frost 246). Through words ‘ideas' become translated into a communicable language. Thus, ‘ideas' are imparted. Some believe that ‘ideas' can solely be genuinely expressed through the spoken word. Daniel J. Boorstin states, summarizing Socrates' belief, "A thinking person, then, must not take the written word too seriously, for he knows that the true life of an idea is not there" (Boorstin 33). However, ‘ideas' cannot be truly justified either through the written word or the spoken word.
Early origins of ‘ideas' were thought to come from the world of spirits which surrounded humankind at all times. The gods put ‘good ideas' in their minds, and demons put ‘evil ideas' there. The ‘ideas' came from outside of themselves, from the forces and powers which governed and controlled every phase of their lives. The Greeks gave little attention to humankind's thought process, but focused more on the "nature of [the] substance" (Frost 247). Therefore, Socrates saw ‘ideas' as "true knowledge" which was gain through speech, dialogue (Frost 249).
Socrates belonged to a "community of the spoken word" (Boorstin 33). Writing was a secondary role to oration, which revealed the full meaning of its teachings, for the "written word is lifeless" (Boorstin 33). Socrates believed that, "The living word of knowledge had a soul . . . of which the written word is properly no more than an image." (Boorstin 33). Written words cannot adequately teach others, only the spoken word which can defend itself and explore other connections (Boorstin 33).
The literature of the Greeks, was not to be read, but to be heard (Boorstin 34). Socrates states, "In the garden of letters he will sow and plant, but only for the sake of recreation and amusement; he will write them down in memorials to be treasured against the forgetfulness . . ." (Boorstin 33). Words were written down in order that future generations could profit from their teachings. The written word was never meant to be enjoyed by its ink on paper, but through the word spoken and heard (Boorstin 34). "Wisdom was assumed to emerge from these encounters of the spoken word" (Boorstin 35). An example would be in Science Seminars, the texts are read and examined, but it is during discussion of the text among peers or though internal monologue, one achieves understanding and "wisdom" presented by the text. For Socrates the spoken word was living because it was the result of a living being, a product of breath and vocal manipulation. He thought that speaking was the truest form of expressing ‘ideas' (Boorstin 33).
Socrates is correct in that the written words are not living. For some never die, they are immortal. They remain as a testament of a person who once lived. Sappho once wrote, "Though they are breath, words which I command are immortal." The written word remains after the living being has passed away. However, just as the written word is ‘dead', so is the spoken word. For as the breath dissipates, so do the words. Spoken words are only the product of a living being as well as written words, but they themselves however are not living. But as the written word remains, does that make it any more or less ‘true' than the spoken word?
The written and spoken word are attempts to explain an ‘idea'. However, words cannot fully convey the true nature of an ‘idea'. Just as language and words change from culture to culture so do their meanings and definitions. An ‘idea' in its purest form is not restricted by boundaries, such as the "cumbersome form of the written word" (Boorstin 35) or the spoken language. The ‘thoughts' and ‘ideas' are the total make-up of what is seen, heard, touched, and comprehended. Once a person tries to communicate an ‘idea' or ‘thought', it is conditioned in its understanding by ‘words'. In the lyrics of the Police: "Words are hard to find, they're only [checks] I've left unsigned from the banks of chaos in my mind. And when their eloquence escapes me, their logic ties me up . . . Is all I want to say to you . . . They're meaningless and all that's true" (6). The Police paradoxically use words, written and sung, in an attempt to lyrically explain the limitations of words. Two people do not always share the same definition of a word and the ‘idea' is being incorrectly expressed, or misinterpreted.
Socrates distinguished between the written and spoken word, proclaiming that the written word was ‘dead' where as the spoken word was ‘living'. He leads to believe that true knowledge, ‘ideas', could be achieved through oration and/or dialogue. However, neither the spoken nor written word is ‘living'. They exist as a by-product of a living being. As ‘ideas' are the result of the conception of the human mind. ‘True ideas' only exist in their purest form, which is in its original form, a thought in the mind. Therefore, ‘true ideas' cannot be expressed; they merely exist.
Author's Note:
I realize that this ‘written' paper is a complete contradiction to the ‘idea' that is endeavoring to be communicated.