Comment by neom
12 days ago
Language is a symbolic system. From an absolute or spiritual standpoint, meaning transcends pure linguistic probabilities. Language itself emerges as a limited medium for the expression of consciousness and abstract thought. Indeed, to say meaning arises purely from language (as probability alone) or, to deny language influences meaning entirely are both overly simplistic extremes.
"When he to whom one speaks does not understand, and he who speaks himself does not understand, that is metaphysics." - Voltaire
Like I said in another comment, I can think of a dozen statistical and computational methods where if you give me a text and its synthesis I can find a strong probabilistic link between the two.
"Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts." - Someone.
Statistical correlation between text and synthesis undoubtedly exists, but capturing correlation does not imply you've encapsulated meaning itself. My point is precisely that: meaning isn't confined entirely within what we can statistically measure, though it may still be illuminated by it.