“If our troubles originate in a kind of “ocean” of thought and language, in which we are submerged, but of which we are only…
“If our troubles originate in a kind of “ocean” of thought and language, in which we are submerged, but of which we are only dimly aware, it would seem reasonable to begin immediately to inquire into the actual function of our thought and language. To do this requires, of course, that we give this function our serious attention. We do give such attention to a vast range of things, including nature, technology, politics, economics, society, psychological problems, and so forth. Why should thought and language be the one field left to function automatically and mechanically, without serious attention, so that the resulting confusion vitiates most of what we try to do in all other fields? The first step in giving proper attention to thought and language depends on seeing that thought is real. Its reality can in fact be demonstrated by instruments such as the electroencephalograph. These show that there is no thought without electrical and chemical changes, muscular tensions, and so forth. But the very same activity that is revealed on one side through such instruments is seen on the other side as meaningful function, both inward and outward. (The inward aspect is thought, imagination, etc., while the outward aspect is language, communication, practical activity, etc.) Houses, tables, chairs, cars, roads, farms, factories, and, indeed, almost all that we see in everyday life are thus extensions of thought. Nature may be regarded as that which takes shape by itself, while human activity leads to the creation of artifacts, shaped by human participation in natural process, ordered and guided by thought.”— David Bohm, On Creativity