Coloquio Interdisciplinario 2023-24
Nov 10th, 2023
“Do languages really exist?”
Dr. Robert Stainton and Dr. Chris Viger, University of Western Ontario
Intro: Our title question may seem odd, even outlandish. We empathize. Nonetheless, languages are puzzling. They are not ordinary objects like rocks. Philosophers have often pondered similar metaphysical questions about things whose nature perplexed them: What kinds of things are beliefs, sensations, knowledge, numbers, or the future? Do they really exist? What of races, genders, species, colours, or causes? Do they really exist? Even if we ultimately return to our intuitive impression that, of course, there are languages, the investigation is valuable in helping us understand what sort of thing they are.