I have been reading this thread with quite a bit of interest. The
discussion's core is about perception, so I shall add mine.
Mathematics (one of my hobbies)-
In the Western world, the mathematics is almost derived from the Greeks,
with the use of the adapted Arabic notation. India, too, was a area of
mathematics -
Someone brought up mathematics, and indeed mathematics is a universal
language. Yet, when it comes to calculus, two notations are used -
ironically, in Germany, where Leibniz is from, Newton's notation is
used. And the rest of the world uses Leibniz's notation. There's an
interesting story behind that, but the short version is that Leibniz and
Newton invented mathematics independently. Two different notations were
created, yet the concepts were different.
Basically, the majority in the Caribbean are using mathematics derived
from the Greeks, Indians and English. At least, this is what history
says. But the need for mathematics adapted it's use to the culture it is
used in. So is it the universal language? Certainly the principles of
mathematics are universal - but the practice is not necessarily so.
Philosophy (another one of my hobbies) -
Much of the philosophy in Latin America and Caribbean are derived from
the Western branches of philosophy. I find myself in an interesting
position here, since I grew up exposed to both forms of philosophy -
mainly Indian and Western, which later became more Eastern than
necessarily Indian. How many people in this region have read Musashi's
"Book of the Five Rings"? That book is a business school requirement in
Nippon [Japan]. How many people in the region have read anything by Lao
Tze? Sun Tzu's 'Art of War' is world famous, and adorns many bookshelves -
but how many people in the region have actually read it? How many people in
the region are familiar with Objectivism, a fairly recent branch of
philosophy (arguable) by Ayn Rand?
Unlike mathematics, there are no universal truths in philosophy - and
this is because philosophy has to adapt to the reality which science and
people discover about the world around us. Philosophy is like a 'unifying
theory of everything', and as such must constantly evolve because the world
evolves.
But when we mention philosophy, we must mention religion - and the
region is predominantly Christian. Yet there are Muslims, Hindus and even a
few Buddhists running around (I am a Buddhist). Many religions do not allow
for other religions to exist, instead accusing them of things which they
consider wrong. I have seen, first hand, an Indian person who converted
from Hinduism to Christianity refuse to put a flower on his mother, because
someone with a pulpit said "It's not Christian". How
many people here understand religions not their own? When we speak of
multiculturalism, does that mean the right to be right or the right to
be equal?
And if you really want to get me started on religion, please do so at
your own risk.
Language -
A recent interest for me since I have become more involved in multilingual
things, such as Mistica. And the problem isn't only language - it's
cultural, it's philosophical - and worse, it's actually a socioeconomic
issue. Consider how many people who are poor who know what 'ICT' means [TIC
in Spanish]. Just as Doctors and Lawyers have their own jargon, so do
different social classes. Imagine, someone told me a few months ago that in
Kweyol (at least in the Caribbean), there are no words related to
computers. How completely odd. Then again, in Hindi and Sanskrit, there was
no word for 'lock' or 'key'.
I recall a conversation with someone from India in 1996. I remember it
well; it was Dr. Singh - he and I had coffee often at a place in Orlando,
Florida and we read many of the same books. But this discussion I remember
well because we were discussing India, and the problems with
India. He said that one of the major problems India faces was language,
which I found odd - I thought everyone speaks Hindi. They do, but the way
they do can differ greatly from village to village and has inspired small
wars between villages. Politics in India means having someone who 'speaks
your language' representing you - literally and figuratively.
When I considered it, even the United States has the same problem.
And just to add to this, we have the generational gaps.
Economics:
We look at the web, and we see that English is still dominant. But I must
ask whether most information on the internet is commercial or not -
consider that right now, the nations with the most disposable income
speak... English (the United States disposable income deserves a separate
conversation, in light of the presidential 'race' there). So who do people
around the world want to sell to? People who speak English. And that's
business. A site offering services or products to Spanish speaking people
is in... Spanish. French.... French. So that is something that we must
consider as well.
Interesting discussion, really.
Taran Rampersad
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