Linguistics for Peace - Alwin Fill Kartoniert (TB)

»Language is not the handmaid but the mother of our thoughts.« This sentence by Karl Kraus stands behind the argumentation of this book. The author argues that certain ideas which language suggests to us ('growthism'!) lead to war but making people aware of this may bring about peace. Thus linguistics may turn human evolution into a new direction in which the joy about peace surpasses all desire for acquiring more power.Language makes us think that large fast strong etc. are good while small and slow are bad. Another way of thinking which comes from language is thinking in contrasts (la rge : small good : bad etc.) which simplifies the world for us by excluding the many stages in between. This leads to a thinking in terms of friends vs. foes.The book also contains chapters on philosophers and peace e.g. Kant Bertrand Russell Wittgenstein Schumacher (Small is Beautiful) on Religion War and Peace and on the role of women in war.Finally the book suggests using music for avoiding war (Daniel Barenboim's orchestra West-Eastern Divan!) and practicing sports which may unite countries but also puts our desire for victory on to a peaceful level.