The best things cannot be told, the second best are misunderstood. After that comes civilized conversation; after that, mass indoctrination; after that, intercultural exchange. And so, proceeding, we come to the problem of communication: the opening, that is to say, of one’s own truth and depth to the depth and truth of another in such a way as to establish an authentic community of existence.
(Joseph Campbell 1968)[i]
Now visit the ART & ORGANISM notes on “The Problem with Words.”
The beautiful Campbell quote brings to mind a famous statement by the ancient Greek sophist Gorgias:
“Nothing exists …
Even if it did exist, it could not be known …
Even if it could be known, it could not be communicated …
Even if it could be communicated, it would not be understood.”
Now visit the ART & ORGANISM notes on “The Problem with Words.”
[i]. Joseph Campbell. The Masks of God: Creative Mythology. The Viking Press. 1968 p.84
[ii] (Gogias (d. 375BC) was an ancient Greek sophist, pre-Socratic philosopher, and rhetorician from Sicily. Read about Gorgias and his lost work, “On Non-Existence.” A&O note on Gorgias