# The Fishing Net Metaphor In my understanding, the mind is a very complex tool, and there are many preconditions that must be met for it to function properly. ## Language as a Core Fundamental One of the main fundamentals is the concept that [[you cannot think what you cannot speak]]. This may sound confusing at first, but it is clear to me that many abstract thoughts are based on language. Like a programming language, we try to dissect problems into lines of code, each representing one notion or core concept. This is evident when we try to explain a concept to someone else. We break the information into smaller parts and provide examples to aid visualization. ## The [[Theory of Ideas]] by [[Platon]] This concept posits that everything we see in reality is based on a universal form or idea—something that is unchangeable and universal. However, the physical item we see will change and vary. We will never see the exact same item twice, yet its underlying idea remains unchanged. To illustrate this, consider interior design. There is an endless array of table designs to choose from. Yet, the core idea of a table remains unaltered. Its core purpose is universal. ## The Problem Returning to language, this means that to arrive at the core idea, we have many ways to describe and explain it. The idea itself remains abstract and hidden. We will never actually see the idea in real life; only its representation. This is why it is difficult to explain and teach abstract concepts. Because the representations in real life will always alter, change shape, and emphasize certain aspects, yet they will all belong to one core idea. In my field, dentistry, this is very hard to teach. The dental nurse has not studied the subject in detail. Her focus is the hygiene and maintenance of the office and assisting the dentist during procedures. Of course, this requires an understanding of the patient's case. So, while I can see the underlying idea of the case, the nurse is often stuck with its representation in the form of symptoms. The number of symptoms varies, and the patients' descriptions vary, leaving behind a mess of information that is difficult for the nurse to sift through. ## The Fishing Net Sifting through information is a task that requires a well-woven net. What do we want to catch? Is our net suitable for the task? Every "net" starts simple and with a loose structure. With each encounter, we realize what we missed, and we keep knitting new strands into our net, making it more suitable to catch what we want. This process is ongoing. *(Hopefully, many of us will pursue lifelong learning and lifelong weaving of the net.)* The core material we use to weave the net is language. With a better understanding of language, we can weave better and add to our net. ### Excursus: The Language Crisis > The "Sprachkrise," or language crisis, refers to a philosophical debate, particularly prominent in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, concerning the limitations of language to accurately represent reality or convey meaning. It was questioned whether language could truly capture experience or if it inevitably distorts and obscures it. This crisis led to experimentation with language in literature and philosophy, seeking new ways to express meaning beyond traditional linguistic structures. %% *In his works Mauthner understand the langauge as a tool for memory retrieval. This is an intertestin aspect that could use further expansion. As I touch upon learning, language as container for memory is an important aspect. Mauther claims the only purpose of language is remembering.* %% Being aware of the limited capabilities of language to capture our experiences further adds to the problem of conveying a concept or idea. This explains why we see problems in learning concepts via a secondary language. We see the same problem even between two individuals. > *We all know people who are very close, each able to finish the other's sentence. And we also know the phenomenon of "talking to a wall," when nothing resonates no matter how hard we try.* > This is the language crisis in action. Each word needs to be loaded with experiences. Learning abstract facts provides a logical understanding but not a tacit understanding. Weaving the net does both: 1. Adding language understanding through experience creates the thread we use. 2. Weaving in the thread means tightening the net by adding more structure. > **This is the core framework to understand.** > > We need to enhance language capabilities by loading vocabulary with experiences. Only then can we use language to weave a finer net, ultimately leading to catching more information. ## Why Information Slips Through Having presented the framework, it now becomes obvious why information slips through the net. The net hasn't been fine enough to catch it, which means there was a language barrier at first. **As a teacher/instructor, you need to load the vocabulary with experience at first before explaining the concept. Otherwise, you provide no raw material to weave the yarn we need to weave the net.** - - - ### Quotes > Limiting our vocabulary—like Big Brother does in George Orwell's 1984—is a sinister way to limit our thinking. Instead, having more words in our vocabulary opens up new ways of thinking and expressing. > Nick Milo > in ([Sign in \| Linking Your Thinking](https://community.linkingyourthinking.com/c/curriculum-unit-3/sections/88520/lessons/294410)) "By words we learn thoughts, and by thoughts we learn life." —Jean Baptiste Girard "So difficult it is to show the various meanings and imperfections of words when we have nothing else but words to do it with." —[John Locke](https://www.thoughtco.com/early-modern-philosophy-2670496) "In a sense, words are encyclopedias of ignorance because they freeze perceptions at one moment in history and then insist we continue to use these frozen perceptions when we should be doing better." —Edward de Bono "As vocabulary is reduced , so are the number of feelings you can express, the number of events you can describe, the number of the things you can identify! Not only understanding is limited, but also experience. Man grows by language. Whenever he limits language he retrogresses!" ~ Sheri S. Tepper "If children read 1 million words in a year, atl least 1,000 words will be added to their vocabulary." ~ Stephen D. Krashen "A vocabulary of truth and simplicity will be of service throughout your life." ~ Winston Churchill "A man with a scant vocabulary will almost certainly be a weak thinker. The richer and more copious one's vocabulary and the greater one's awareness of fine distinctions and subtle nuances of meaning, the more fertile and precise is likely to be one's thinking. Knowledge of things and knowledge of the words for them grow together. If you do not know the words, you can hardly know the thing." ~ Henry Hazlitt