Steven Pinker, who is often worth reading, wrestles with the problem of people and meaning. The thing is that when I read scientists doing this kind of thing, they seem to be two laps behind those who have been doing hermeneutics and semiotics for ages.
"Why don't people just say what they mean? The reason is that conversational partners are not modems downloading information into each other's brains. People are very, very touchy about their relationships. Whenever you speak to someone, you are presuming the two of you have a certain degree of familiarity--which your words might alter. So every sentence has to do two things at once: convey a message and continue to negotiate that relationship. ... "
Yep. And a good bible commentary will take you through that issue applied to biblical texts.
Edge 222:
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