Knowledge Questions about Language
Scope
- Q1: Can all knowledge be expressed in words or symbols?
- Q2: What role does language play in allowing knowledge to be shared with future generations?
- Q3: How does language allow humans to pool resources and share knowledge?
Perspectives
- Q1: What knowledge might be lost if the whole world shared one common language?
- Q2: How do our values and assumptions influence the language in which we express our ideas?
- Q3: Do all people share some innate linguistic knowledge? If the categories that we use necessarily empower or marginalise, is it ever possible to produce knowledge that does not either reflect or challenge existing power structures?
Methods & Tools
- Q1: How are metaphors used in the construction of knowledge?
- Q2: To what extent do the classification systems we use in the pursuit of knowledge affect the conclusions that we reach?
- Q3: To what extent do the names and labels that we use help or hinder the acquisition of knowledge?
Ethics
- Q1: Do ethical statements simply convey our feelings/emotions rather than making claims?
- Q2: Can we define words such as good and bad in terms of objective features of the world?
- Q3: Do professional interpreters and translators have any special ethical obligations?
Want more questions? See HERE, via the IBO
