Week 4

1. To an extent, of course language has an effect on reality. If I shout "bomb" people will run out of a building. However, reality, the referent, exists outside of language. Language cannot change essential reality. The greatest affect language can have is influencing our perception of reality, or poisoning the well. Even this phenomena has been greatly exaggerated in recent scholarship and has lead to language becoming just another battleground of different philosophies, rather than the tool for arguing the philosophies themselves. Indeed, when this concept is expanded to far it easily strengthens the influence of language instead of lessening.

2. Well, obviously the website promotes 6 different, conflicting views, and since I'm not a psych major I'm not sure how comprehensive it is. However, it does seem to present these views accurately. After examination the Naive Cognitive view is obviously the most correct.

3. The Article essentially forces a "what came first the chicken or the egg" scenario. Additionally, it tries to infer a claim that its data does not support. By attempting to say that "emotional" reactions are the result of already existing physical conditions is defied by the need for a cognitively processed external stimuli. In fact the physical and mental signs of emotion are both derived from this cognitive decision.