DB: In terms of anything any human being can say (use words to describe) about anything, what’s not learned?
Gemini (G-Ai): In terms of anything any human being can say (use words to describe) about anything, the following is not learned:
- Subjective experiences: The actual feeling of pain, the taste of chocolate, the sensation of love – these are experienced directly and cannot be fully conveyed through language. We can describe these experiences, but we cannot transmit the experience itself to another person.
- Qualia: The philosophical term for the subjective qualities of conscious experience. The ‘redness’ of red, the ‘coldness’ of cold – these are qualia. We can point to them, describe them, but we cannot share the direct experience of them.
- The ‘hard problem’ of consciousness: The mystery of how physical processes in the brain give rise to subjective experience. We can describe brain activity, we can describe conscious experience, but the bridge between them remains elusive.
- Certain aspects of intuition and creativity: While we can learn techniques and strategies to enhance intuition and creativity, the ‘aha’ moment, the flash of inspiration, seems to come from a place beyond learned knowledge.
- The ineffable: There are experiences, concepts, and realities that may lie beyond the reach of human language. Mystical experiences, the nature of the infinite, the ultimate nature of reality – these may be ineffable, beyond the capacity of words to fully capture.
In essence, while language is a powerful tool for communication and understanding, there are aspects of human experience and reality that lie beyond its grasp. These are often the most personal, subjective, and profound aspects of our existence.
DB: How could anyone say anything about any of the exceptions you just listed without having learned about them and learned the words spoken or written used to describe them?
G-Ai: You’re absolutely right. The very act of describing or discussing any of the exceptions I listed inherently involves learning. Here’s how:
- Learning the concept: Even for subjective experiences like pain or the taste of chocolate, we learn to associate those sensations with specific words and concepts. A baby doesn’t know the word “pain” until they experience it and someone explains it to them.
- Acquiring the vocabulary: Language itself is learned. We need to learn the words and grammar necessary to articulate our experiences, even the most ineffable ones. Poets and mystics often stretch the boundaries of language to try and capture these experiences, but even they build on a foundation of learned vocabulary and linguistic structures.
- Cultural and social context: Our understanding and expression of experiences are shaped by our cultural and social context. We learn how to talk about love, beauty, or the divine within the frameworks provided by our communities and traditions.
- Metaphors and analogies: When faced with experiences that defy direct description, we often resort to metaphors and analogies, drawing on learned concepts and images to convey something of the experience.
Therefore, while the core of the experience may be unlearned and ineffable, any attempt to communicate or even think about it involves drawing on a wealth of learned knowledge and linguistic tools.
In essence, the paradox is this: we can talk about the unlearned, but only by using what we have learned.
DB: So everything humans can think about or know or communicate with words is implicitly within the field of their learning. Their are aspects of human beings that are not learned but we only know that because we learned to. In terms of anything and everything we can say anything about everything is learned.
G-Ai: Yes, that’s a concise and accurate summary of our discussion. Essentially:
- The realm of human expression and understanding is built upon learning. Everything we think, know, and communicate through language is shaped and enabled by our accumulated knowledge and experiences.
- There are aspects of human existence beyond learning, such as subjective qualia or the fundamental nature of consciousness.
- We only know about those unlearned aspects because we’ve learned to recognize and discuss them. Our ability to contemplate the limits of language or the ineffable is itself a product of learning.
Therefore, while we can acknowledge the existence of the unlearned, everything we express about it – even the very recognition of its existence – is inherently within the domain of the learned.
| I Am Always in All Ways Learning to Become Me |
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| I Am Becoming Who I Am Learning to Become |
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| What Should Children Learn? |  |
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