There are three levels at which we
may communicate about things: object, experience and concept. As we go up the
levels of abstraction, ideas increase and reality recedes.
At the 'object' level, we talk about
tangible material things, many of which we can touch and pick up. The truth of
an object is independent of people (unless, of course, you are an
existentialist). It exists whether we are there or not.
At the experience level, we talk
about the experiences we have had. This now has the abstraction of
interpretation. However, it is still very real to us, at least.
When two people talk about a common
experience, they refer to the same objects, but may have different feelings
about them. This is a common source of conversation, interest and maybe
conflict, as we often expect others to have the same experiences as us.
At the conceptual level of
communication, we talk about ideas and thoughts we have had. Concepts include
our beliefs,
values and schemas. These are internal constructions that are abstracted away from reality,
although we often mistake them to be that reality they represent.
Words are effectively concepts in
the way they are little packets of meaning by which we try to communicate.
Concepts can be accepted or rejected, however and the same word may be
interpreted differently by different people.
When I listen to your experience, I
receive it as a concept and hence can evaluate it and put my own interpretation
on it. When we communicate, much of what we say is conceptual, which is one
reason why communication is so difficult.
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