Alfred Korzybski facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alfred Korzybski
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| Born |
Alfred Habdank Skarbek Korzybski
July 3, 1879 Warsaw, Vistula Country, Russian Empire
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| Died | March 1, 1950 (aged 70) Lakeville, Connecticut, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Warsaw University of Technology |
| Spouse(s) |
Mira Edgerly
(m. 1919) |
| Era | Modern philosophy |
| Region | Western philosophy
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| Institutions | Institute of General Semantics |
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Main interests
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Notable ideas
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General semantics The map is not the territory |
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Influences
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Alfred Korzybski (born July 3, 1879 – died March 1, 1950) was a Polish-American thinker. He created a field of study called general semantics. This field helps us understand how we use language and how our brains work.
Korzybski believed that what we know about the world is shaped by our brains and the languages we speak. This means we don't see reality exactly as it is. Instead, we see it through a "filter" of our minds. His most famous idea is "The map is not the territory." This means that our ideas or words about something are not the thing itself.
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Early Life and Career
Alfred Korzybski was born in Warsaw, which was then part of the Russian Empire. His family was Polish nobility. Many of his relatives were mathematicians, scientists, and engineers. He learned Polish and Russian at school. He also learned French and German from his governess. This meant he spoke four languages as a child.
Korzybski studied engineering at the Warsaw University of Technology. During World War I (1914–1918), he served in the Russian Army. He was an intelligence officer. After being wounded, he moved to North America in 1916. He helped send supplies to Russia. He also gave talks to Polish-Americans to encourage them to buy war bonds.
After the war, he stayed in the United States. He became an American citizen in 1940. In 1919, he married Mira Edgerly, an artist. Their marriage lasted until his death.
In 1921, Korzybski published his first book, Manhood of Humanity. In this book, he shared a new idea about humans. He called humans a "time-binding" species. This means humans can pass on knowledge and ideas through time. This knowledge builds up in cultures.
What is General Semantics?
Korzybski's main work led to a new field he called general semantics (GS). This is different from just "semantics," which is the study of meaning in language. The main ideas of general semantics are in his book Science and Sanity, published in 1933.
In 1938, Korzybski started the Institute of General Semantics in Chicago. After World War II, he moved the institute to Lakeville, Connecticut. He led it there until he passed away in 1950.
Korzybski believed that humans are limited in what they know. This is because of two things:
- The way our nervous systems are built.
- The way our languages are structured.
We cannot experience the world directly. We only experience it through our "abstractions." These are like our brain's impressions or ideas from what we sense. They also come from the words we use. Sometimes, these ideas or words can trick us. They might not match what is really happening.
Korzybski wanted to help people become more aware of how they "abstract." He used ideas from math and science to do this. He called this awareness "consciousness of abstracting." His system encouraged people to think, "I don't know; let's see." This helps us discover what is real. Another technique was to become quiet inside and out. He called this "silence on the objective levels."
The Word "Is"
Some people thought Korzybski's ideas were just about the word "is." But his system was much more complex. It focused on different "orders of abstraction." It also focused on "consciousness of abstracting."
Korzybski did not say we should never use the word "to be." He thought that certain uses of "is" could be misleading. For example, saying "Elizabeth is a fool." In his system, calling Elizabeth a "fool" is a higher-level idea. It is not Elizabeth herself.
Korzybski wanted us to remember that "Elizabeth" is not what we call her. Elizabeth is a real person, not just a word. This idea is captured in his most famous saying: "the map is not the territory." Even this saying uses "is not." This shows he didn't want to get rid of "to be" entirely. He said it was fine to use "to be" as a helping verb. It was also okay to use it to say something exists or is in a certain place. Even the "faulty" uses were sometimes acceptable. The important thing was to be aware of their limits.
Interesting Stories
One time, Korzybski was giving a lecture. He suddenly stopped and pulled out a packet of biscuits. He said he needed to eat something. He offered biscuits to students in the front row. A few students took one. "Nice biscuit, don't you think?" he asked, taking another. The students were eating them.
Then, he tore off the white paper wrapping. The original package showed a big picture of a dog's head. It said "Dog Cookies." The students were shocked! Two of them felt sick and ran out of the room. Korzybski then said, "You see, I've shown that people don't just eat food. They also 'eat' words. The taste of words can often be stronger than the taste of the food itself."
William S. Burroughs, a famous writer, attended a Korzybski workshop in 1939. He was 25 years old. Other students included S. I. Hayakawa, who later became a U.S. Senator.
Influence
Korzybski's ideas were well-received by many smart people. This was especially true in the 1940s and 1950s.
- Author Robert A. Heinlein named a character after him in a story.
- Science fiction writer A. E. van Vogt used his ideas in a novel.
- Philosopher Alan Watts used Korzybski's phrase "the map is not the territory" in his talks.
- Writer Robert Anton Wilson was also greatly influenced by Korzybski.
During World War II, the United States Army used Korzybski's system. It helped soldiers cope with stress from war. This was done under the guidance of Dr. Douglas M. Kelley. Dr. Kelley later became the psychiatrist for Nazi war criminals at the Nuremberg Trials.
S. I. Hayakawa continued some of the traditions of General Semantics.
See Also
In Spanish: Alfred Korzybski para niños
- Alfred Korzybski Memorial Lecture
- Concept and object
- E-Prime
- Institute of General Semantics
- Robert Pula
- Structural differential
