Bemerkungen zum problem “sprechen und denken” auf grund hirnpathologischer erfahrungen

Abstract

Speaking and thinking are performances of the human organism, both understandable only when considered as means to fulfil the basic trend of the organism, the trend to realize itself as much as possible in a given situation with the help of motor and sensory activities and the behavior underlying thinking. As in all performance fields we have to distinguish also in language and thinking two ways of appearance, an active one determined by the condition of the total organism particularly by its capacity of abstraction and a passive one, which is built under the influence of abstraction, later becomes more automatic, elicited by direct stimulation from outside and inside. As to language these two ways appear in the symbolic character of words and the “instrumentalities” of speech, as to thinking in the active thinking and the fixed thoughts, the products of previous active thinking. The relationship between speaking and thinking can be understood only from the viewpoint of the significance each of the two ways of appearance has for fulfillment of ‘selfrealization’ of the individual in the given situation. The impulse to speak comes always from thinking. Even if outside events induce speaking, thinking plays a dominant role. During active thinking and speaking often processes of the character of instrumentalities of speech and of fixed thoughts play a particular role. The significance of words for fixation of thoughts does not allow to consider the relation between thinking and speaking simply from a viewpoint of language as a substitute for thinking. Language has a very positive significance. It enriches —due to its symbolic function— the behavior of man essentially. It brings like thinking the individual and its world to a higher form of development, characteristic for man. And so it renders possible a higher form of self-realization essentially different from that which any animal may achieve. That finds its very characteristic expression in the change of the personality of indoviduals and their “world”, who are suffering from a damage of the brain cortex. The concept in general and the special explanations of the relationship between thinking and speaking are based on experiences with such patients.