Dickman/Interpretation, 3. The Mediums of Interpretation

Chapter Three, The Mediums of Interpretation, will examine the medium in which interpretation takes place: language. We will develop a philosophy of language informed by the art and practice of interpretation. This turns our attention away from language systems (such as Thai, Arabic, English, etc.) and toward living dialogues, conversations that we actually have with one another even if we speak different languages and have to muddle through to reach an understanding. We will look at ways language transforms experience, from sensation of material environments to conceptions of meaningful worlds. Language liberates us from the immediacy of environments. In this way, language is like an artwork. The transformative power of works of art provide a clue to grasping how language liberates us, despite common figures of speech that “language” is too limiting for grasping profound truths.