Does philosophy weaponize language?

Wheatley

Argument is a central concept for philosophy. Philosophers rely heavily on arguments to justify claims, and these practices have been motivating reflections on what arguments and argumentation are for millennia. Moreover, argumentative practices are also pervasive elsewhere; they permeate scientific inquiry, legal procedures, education, and political institutions. SEP

Every since the dawn of creation we've used the natural world for weaponry. We've turned metal into spears, wood into staffs, and I would argue: language into combative machines. An argument is often used to justify horrible activities. A look through history and you will find arguments for slavery. link

That's not to say all arguments are bad, you can use arguments to justify wonderful things, like charity and ethics. Even still, you are using arguments to persuade others to do the "right" thing. A business man may not want to donate part of his money for charity, but he is also susceptible to being guilt ridden by a religious charity organization. "If you don't give money to charity, it means you are selfish!" Good or bad, arguments are competitive by its very nature. In my opinion, philosophy is often used as a tool to churn out arguments.

What do you think? Does philosophy weaponize our language to turn them into arguments? Do I have a point?

Ambrosia

↪Wheatley

This is an excellent OP!

Yes,of course philosophy weaponises Language.
By appeals to authority, tradition and conceptual precedents/dogmas predominantly.

Every major philosopher had a major political project or religious affiliation. And their "arguments" and reasonings were only to justify and persuade for a priori political beliefs.

Banno

There's arguments and there's arguments. Quarrels and lines of reasoning.

Philosophers use both. They supposedly use lines of reasoning to suport this or that case; and of course they do also engage in quarrels.

But many folk cannot make the distinction. The result is their taking an argument as an argument - a line of reasoning as a personal affront.

I suspect thin skin is more common in the "polite" states of 'merica, were excessive civility is needed in order not to get shot. But doubtless others will disagree.

Noble Dust

*

Banno

If you disagree with Banno, he'll gaslight you. Good luck. — Noble Dust

Why, how kind. Thank you. One does what one can.

Noble Dust

↪Banno

Yes, gas lighters do what they can by gas-lighting. Surely.

Wheatley

lines of reasoning — Banno

Is there another word for that?

Wheatley

Oh wait...

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/line%20of%20reasoning

Banno

↪Wheatley

Defence, justification, exchange, account...

Wheatley

↪Banno

How about "formal argument"?

Wheatley

Nevermind. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argument

Noble Dust

↪Banno

Gaslitghing

Wheatley

Yes, gas lighters do what they can by gas-lighting — Noble Dust

The biggest gas-lighter in history is... Link

Noble Dust

↪Wheatley

I'm only interested in gaslighters like @Banno

Wheatley

↪Noble Dust

Im only interested in torch lighters. I don't like the cheap BIC stuff.

Noble Dust

↪Wheatley

In this thread I'm only interested in @Banno's gaslighting.

Hermeticus

↪Noble Dust

Would you chill out? Whether Banno gaslighted you or not, this adds nothing to the thread, it doesn't belong here.

↪Wheatley

I don't think weaponizing language is an immediate feature of philosophy, rather than a consequence of how some people tend to debate. When do we use weapons? When we want to overpower someone. We do the same with language if we want to proclaim ourselves or our opinion as superior.

There's arguments and there's arguments. Quarrels and lines of reasoning — Banno

This.

Noble Dust

Would you chill out? Whether Banno gaslighted you or not, this adds nothing to the thread, it doesn't belong here. — Hermeticus

He did, so it does belong here.

TheMadFool

I recall someone telling me quite a while ago that his father used to hit him with anything his pop could lay his hand's on.

Wheatley

I recall someone telling me quite a while ago that his father used to hit him with anything his pop could lay his hand's on. — TheMadFool

I guess the moral of the story is that anything can be used as weapon...

Wheatley

I disagree with my OP, philosophical language can be used as a weapon, but it's not a weapon in of itself.

Ambrosia

↪Wheatley

Yes,not every word is a weapon per se,but its use always has a purpose,either good or bad.
What is language in of itself?

TheMadFool

I guess the moral of the story is that anything can be used as weapon... — Wheatley

Unfortunately (for the victim) or fortunately (for the victim), looks like it.

Wheatley

↪TheMadFool

Yeah, and I feel bad for all those poor victim grad students who are assigned Hegel's The Phenomenology of Spirit as a reading project. :razz: :gasp:

sime

In my opinion, yes, on my understanding that it is linguistic convention which ultimately decides whether a sentence is true or false (for on any physical understanding of verbal behaviour, every assertion can be understood to be a true representation of it's physical causes, and therefore true).

Every person has their own linguistic convention and associated agenda, and conventions come into either conflict or cooperation for political reasons. Discussions and debates which on the surface look like passive disputes over the objective nature of shared truth, are ultimately analysable in terms of the resolution of socio-political objectives. But i don't see this as a nihilistic conclusion and more like an alternative view of philosophy.

Wheatley

↪sime

:up:

Tom Storm

Good or bad, arguments are competitive by its very nature. In my opinion, philosophy is often used as a tool to churn out arguments.

What do you think? Does philosophy weaponize our language to turn them into arguments? Do I have a point? — Wheatley

The fact that this might not be the case never occurred to me.

Banno

The fact that this might not be the case never occurred to me. — Tom Storm

Yep.

Wheatley

↪Banno

Nothing ever gets through you. :sweat:

TheMadFool

Yeah, and I feel bad for all those poor victim grad students who are assigned Hegel's The Phenomenology of Spirit as a reading project. — Wheatley

I know. Torture can take many forms. Intriguing no, how people don't seem to realize that they're inflicting pain on others? :point: Milgram Experiment (Stanley Milgram)

Also, :point: Dual Use Tech

In politics, diplomacy and export control, "dual-use" refers to technology that can be used for both peaceful and military aims. — Wikipedia

Somewhere in all that is the truth - anything is a weapon.

Wheatley

Intriguing no, how people don't seem to realize that they're inflicting pain on others? :point: Milgram Experiment (Stanley Milgram) — TheMadFool

You learn that in social psychology. :nerd:

Does philosophy weaponize language?

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