Phronetics and Language

Perhaps the most pervasive theme of contemporary Philosophy is Language, with Analytic Philosophy, Logical Postivism, Structuralism, and Deconstructionism among the most prominent treatments of the topic. These various theories seem to agree, in general, that the essential function of Language is to describe the world, even those which conceive of it as a 'game'. Accordingly, the primary influence of Kant on Philosophy of Language is usually taken to be Positivistic, namely the notion that what is linguistically undescribable is unknowable. So, Kant's explicit innovation in this Philosophical field has gone generally unappreciated. Language is central to his Moral Theory, which is based on Maxims and Imperatives, both linguistic constructions. His implicit thesis is that Rational behavior is essentially linguistic--the Maxim articulates a plan of possible personal action, and the Categorical Imperative formulates an evaluation of Maxims with respect to their transpersonal worth. Mead, most notably, though generally unbeknownst to the mainstream of Philosophy of Language, infers that Language is fundamentally Communication, and Communication is the medium of socialization, which explains the converse of the Kantian thesis, namely that Language is fundamentally a determinant of behavior. This view complements of the central theses of Pragmatism--that Epistemic description is fundamentally prescriptive, namely, not an account of what is, but a formula articulating how to go about discovering, testing, and confirming those proposed accounts. Evolvemental Phronetics is squarely in the Pragmatist tradition: Language functions Formatively in Conduct, i. e. as a guide, and the communication of an Individual with other Individuals always entails personal growth.