Conversations For Transformation: Essays Inspired By The Ideas Of Werner Erhard

Conversations For Transformation

Essays By Laurence Platt

Inspired By The Ideas Of Werner Erhard

And More




Linguistic Acts

Frog's Leap, Rutherford, California, USA

September 13, 2010



This essay, Linguistic Acts, is the seventh in an open group on Language:
  1. Last Word
  2. Speaking Of Freedom
  3. The Transformation Of The World
  4. Constituted In Language
  5. Zen Bland
  6. Source Of Zen Bland: Hand Grasps Itself?
  7. Linguistic Acts
  8. Language: The Scalpel Of Experience
  9. Wordsmith
  10. Source Quote
  11. Being And Acting Out-Here: Presence Of Self Revisited
  12. My Word In The Matter
  13. You Are What You Speak
  14. Residue Of Meaning
  15. The Effortless Breakthrough
  16. The World's Conversation
  17. Read To Us
  18. Everything You Say
  19. Breakfast With The Master IV: Language As Music
  20. Leading With My Word
  21. Language And Results
  22. No, It's What You Say  About It
  23. Located Inside Language
  24. Be A Good Day
  25. Words Are Like Numbers
in that order.

I am indebted to Michael Richardson and to Fernando Flores who inspired this conversation.




The essential difference between physical  acts and mental  acts and linguistic  acts is I don't have to be present  when performing physical acts or mental acts. I may  be present when performing physical acts or mental acts, and most often I am. But my presence isn't required, given both physical acts and mental acts may be performed mechanically, in other words autonomically ie automatically, and often they are.

Linguistic acts on the other hand call on me to be present. Without being present I can't perform linguistic acts. When I can't perform linguistic acts, the best there is for my speaking is inconsequential chit-chat, story telling (aka "talking story"), gossip, and opining also known as "Monday morning quarterbacking".

I assert the purest forms of Self  expression are linguistic acts. Without linguistic acts there is no  authentic Self expression.
Werner Erhard, it could be said, is a power bringing forth transformation in the world simply because over and above everything else, he acts linguistically. It's in my listening for true Self as it generates authentic Self expression evidenced by linguistic acts, which is where transformation shows up.



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