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The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis posits that a language one speaks has an adverse correlation to how s/he perceives and categorizes experiences. For the record, I must mention it was advanced by Edward Sapir in 1929 and subsequently developed by Benjamin Whorf.
Mathematics can arguably be considered a language in itself. We tend to correspond genius with one’s mathematical aptitude most of the time. Math involves the use of various symbols and characters in conjunction to operations of various types. We follow a given set of rules to carry out such tasks. Solving a mathematical problem, in a way, is close to solving a puzzle. For the sake of this argument, let’s consider general language itself as a puzzle, a puzzle that consists of symbols (letters, words, punctuation) which we must arrange in a particular permutation (position of subject, object, verb, etc.) so as to consider it solved.
For a native English speaker who is learning a new language, say Chinese, s/he has to arrange the Chinese letters and symbols to make up words and then organize those words in the correct order to construct a sensible sentence. It’s a puzzle of sorts.
Studies have concluded that the Chinese speakers rely more on vision whereas English speakers rely more on phonology. The argument of this hypothesis is that such a characteristic inevitably leads to a better development of the visual conceptualization and processing skills for Chinese speakers. (Source)
Language seems to be the only sector where this idea has been focused on. But of course, my undertaking is to show what other dimensions this theory can implicate.
Amateur Experiment
Duration of experiment: 18 days
Subject was introduced to an item of his interest relevant to the study.
Item 1: Book, The Innovators by Walter Isaacson
Subject was exposed to a book that starts off its premise set towards the end of The Renaissance and the start of the Industrial Revolution. He read well documented accounts of the people from that era including Lord Byron, Lady Ada Lovelace, Charles Babbage, etc. No decline in interest seen. Subject observed to take notes of notable sections. Subject observed to be seen still reading the book throughout the duration of this experiment.
Note: Contents of the book transitioned to various other eras including the mid to late decades of the 20th century.
Item 2: YouTube
Upon examination of the subject’s YouTube history of videos watched, content relevant to this study could be arranged into two categories: (i) Music (ii) Philosophy
Subject was observed to be invested almost exclusively in music from the Renaissance period, the most prominent track being Canon in D-Major by Johann Pachelbel (approximated to have been composed between 1680 and 1706). Subject also observed to be attempting to master this piece on a 6-string guitar. Although this being a difficult task as it falls under the classical genre, subject seemed to be motivated in mastering it.
Subject was observed to be interested in video essays, interviews, book reviews and general content associated to Stoicism – an ancient Greek School of Philosophy teaching the endurance of pain or hardship without the display of feelings and without complaint. Subject observed to have placed order for a book relating to it (Meditations by Marcus Aurelius).
Sub-Item 1: Canon in D-MajorEnd Result: The Induced Thought
In a conversation with the subject, he mentioned how he disliked today’s capitalist society, though he was very verbose in clarifying that by stating that, he in no way supported communist beliefs. He further explained that it wasn’t much fun – the established system of spending the first third of your life in academics, the second third of your life working for money and the final third of your life waiting for death. He advocated how life could be much more wholesome if people would grow their own food, breed their own livestock and spend their spare time invested in the arts. Of course, the subject didn’t think about the fact that if everybody adopted that approach, there would no one working in the field of medicine, clothing, and other fields of work borne by the advancement of civilization. But I did not dare correct him at that moment, for when I heard him say those words, I had my revelation.
The lifestyle he described to be perfect was in fact eerily similar to that of pre-Renaissance times, or even ancient Greece for that matter, considering and accepting to overlook a small margin of error.
I would like to theorize that it was all the exposure to the aforementioned items that subconsciously induced an honest thought in the conscience of the subject. Let’s look at all the data he input into his mind. He only read about people from a long time ago; he assiduously admired their achievements. He wanted to read more books from the past, most notably one by an ancient Roman Emperor. The music he let into his ears throughout this period was almost exclusively from the Renaissance period, and so was the music he played himself. His time he invested on the Internet was to read on ancient Greek Philosophy. Everything the subject gathered information from are seen to originate from distant times in the past. Might it be that the reason the subject was able to construct this original thought was because it was subconsciously induced by the aforementioned activities? It would be immature of me to confidently conclude the study since a big enough sample size was not used.
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