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discussion

Is sound evil? Is color evil?

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anton
Dec 11 2007
01:53 pm

I think the difficulty with the question is that we live east of Eden and this side of the Tower of Babel. We are made in the image of God (and so we are genuinely able to communicate), but the image has been marred and language has been confounded. The Lord said, "Let us go down and confuse their language so that they will not understand each other" (Gen 11:7).

I think that those who say meaning is determined exclusively or mostly by the reader (or listener) have too low a view of the image of God after the Fall. I think genuine communication by the author to the reader is still possible. Those who think no meaning is lost in translation, however, have too high a view. Language has been somewhat confused.

In addition to using words, we also use sight and sound to communicate, though without words I think sight and sound may strike us with deep and vital and wonderful impressions but precisely what is communicated is much more ambiguous. It’s "open to interpretation." This is both their strength and their weakness. With respect to communication, the problem with a wordless symphony is that you can’t talk through it.