One note: Having a few more links to basic information (e.g. a general summary of the Spanish Enlightenment, a list of behaviors/âactions recommended by General Semantics) would have helped me better understand both writeups. (I can Google this kind of thing, of course, but I might not find sources as good as those you consulted in your own research.)
Here is, additionally, a list of behaviors/âtechniques recommended by General Semantics which stood out to me for some reason. The problem is, though, that I find it difficult to say whether theyâre representative; for that, see the first link in my other comment: An overview of general semantics
. With that in mind:
Extensional devices:
Indexing : Muslim(1) is not Muslim(2); Feminist(1) is not Feminist(2);. Remember to look for the differences even among a group or category that presume similarities.
Dating : Steve(2008) is not Steve(1968); Steveâs-views-on-abortion(2008) are not Steveâs-views-on-abortion(1988). Remember that each person and each âthingâ we experience changes over time, even though the changes may not be apparent to us.
Quotes : âtruthâ, ârealityâ, âmindâ, âeliteâ. Use quotes around terms as a caution to indicate youâre aware that there is an opportunity for misunderstanding if the term is particularly subject to interpretation, or if youâre being sarcastic, ironic, or facetious. o hyphen : mind-body, thinking-feeling. Use to join terms that we can separate in language, but canât actually separate in the ârealâ world. Remember that we can talk in terms that donât accurately reflect the world âout there.â
etc.: Remember that our knowledge and awareness of anything is limited. We canât sense or experience or talk about all of something, so we should maintain an awareness that âmore could be said.â
Variations of English:
E-Prime: eliminate or reduce forms of the to be verbs (is, are, were, am, being, etc.). In particular, reduce those that we consider is of identity (ex. John is a liberal) and is of predication (ex. The rose is red.)
âWhatâs this? Whatâs that?â Donât answer, âItâs a table,â but, âWe call it a table.â
English Minus Absolutisms (EMA): eliminate or reduce inappropriate generalizations or expressions that imply allness or absolute attitudes. Examples include: all, none, every, totally, absolutely, perfect, without a doubt, certain, completely.
Holding a stone
Bruce Kodish led the sessions dealing with experiencing on the silent level. One exercise was seemingly quite simple. We were told to pick out a stone, bring it to class, then for a few minutes simply experience the stone on the silent level. In other words, to use our senses without verbalizing our reactions to our senses. My inability to accomplish this simple task was enlightening. It emphasized to me how language can get in the way of our moment-to-moment experiences with âwhat is going on.â It also demonstrated the extent to which I generate meanings for things. While I was unsuccessful in shutting off my verbalizing, I was quite proficient in coming up with all kinds of thoughts-and-feelings-and-meanings about an ordinary, arbitrary rock. If I can âmake upâ so much meaning for a random inanimate object, perhaps it would be appropriate for me to be hesitant and inquiring in my future evaluations of relationships with more animate beings.
Ladders
General Semantics has several ladders, which illustrate different levels of abstraction. For example:
A)
Something is going on
I experience whatâs going on
I evaluate my experience of whatâs going on
From my evaluation of my experience of whatâs going on, I
respond to and give meaning to what is going.
Example: You misunderstood what I was trying to say /â You didnât write clearly enough benefits from that.
B)
What Happens
â What I Sense
â How I Respond
â âWhat It Meansâ
C)
What we sense is not what happenedâWhat we describe is not what we senseâWhat it means is not what we describe.
D)
E)
Here is an example of these ladders being used:
What this GS stuff meant to me, at that particular time, was that I didnât have to be consumed with guilt over the fact that I had decided to end my marriage. Divorce didnât have a predetermined meaning â our daughter wasnât forever doomed to be neglected and miserable; I didnât have to walk forever with my head bowed, ashamed of taking actions to further my own personal happiness; my wife didnât have to forever grieve over what I had âdoneâ to her. It was certainly possible that each of these outcomes could occur, but they were not unavoidable consequences of the event called divorce.
Source: Here is something about general semantics, by Steven Stockdale, who was once director of the Insititute of Semantics.
Regarding Spanish Enlightenment, I canât answer as decisively, because the sources I used were in Spanish, and they were combined with me just knowing things about Spanish literature and history, which made hypothesis generation much easier and much faster.
That being said, the English Wikipedia page Enlightenment in Spain might be a good starting point.
I enjoyed reading this!
One note: Having a few more links to basic information (e.g. a general summary of the Spanish Enlightenment, a list of behaviors/âactions recommended by General Semantics) would have helped me better understand both writeups. (I can Google this kind of thing, of course, but I might not find sources as good as those you consulted in your own research.)
Here is, additionally, a list of behaviors/âtechniques recommended by General Semantics which stood out to me for some reason. The problem is, though, that I find it difficult to say whether theyâre representative; for that, see the first link in my other comment: An overview of general semantics . With that in mind:
Extensional devices:
Indexing : Muslim(1) is not Muslim(2); Feminist(1) is not Feminist(2);. Remember to look for the differences even among a group or category that presume similarities.
Dating : Steve(2008) is not Steve(1968); Steveâs-views-on-abortion(2008) are not Steveâs-views-on-abortion(1988). Remember that each person and each âthingâ we experience changes over time, even though the changes may not be apparent to us.
Quotes : âtruthâ, ârealityâ, âmindâ, âeliteâ. Use quotes around terms as a caution to indicate youâre aware that there is an opportunity for misunderstanding if the term is particularly subject to interpretation, or if youâre being sarcastic, ironic, or facetious. o hyphen : mind-body, thinking-feeling. Use to join terms that we can separate in language, but canât actually separate in the ârealâ world. Remember that we can talk in terms that donât accurately reflect the world âout there.â
etc.: Remember that our knowledge and awareness of anything is limited. We canât sense or experience or talk about all of something, so we should maintain an awareness that âmore could be said.â
Variations of English:
E-Prime: eliminate or reduce forms of the to be verbs (is, are, were, am, being, etc.). In particular, reduce those that we consider is of identity (ex. John is a liberal) and is of predication (ex. The rose is red.)
âWhatâs this? Whatâs that?â Donât answer, âItâs a table,â but, âWe call it a table.â
English Minus Absolutisms (EMA): eliminate or reduce inappropriate generalizations or expressions that imply allness or absolute attitudes. Examples include: all, none, every, totally, absolutely, perfect, without a doubt, certain, completely.
Holding a stone
Ladders
General Semantics has several ladders, which illustrate different levels of abstraction. For example:
A)
Something is going on
I experience whatâs going on
I evaluate my experience of whatâs going on
From my evaluation of my experience of whatâs going on, I respond to and give meaning to what is going.
Example: You misunderstood what I was trying to say /â You didnât write clearly enough benefits from that.
B)
What Happens â What I Sense â How I Respond â âWhat It Meansâ
C)
What we sense is not what happenedâWhat we describe is not what we senseâWhat it means is not what we describe.
D)
E)
Here is an example of these ladders being used:
Note that CBT says something similar
Fortunately, I keep notes, so here is a list of links with respect to general semantics which kind of answer your questions.
An overview of general semantics
Reflections by a general semanticist
History of general semantics
A Brief History of General Semantics
A Brief History of General Semantics II
Drama because of having two organizations
A book length introduction
The Wikipedia page
Regarding Spanish Enlightenment, I canât answer as decisively, because the sources I used were in Spanish, and they were combined with me just knowing things about Spanish literature and history, which made hypothesis generation much easier and much faster.
That being said, the English Wikipedia page Enlightenment in Spain might be a good starting point.