Man’s First Word

I present here a recollection of a section of a conversation. The flow of thought- I attempt to preserve, but of its accuracy no guarantee is provided. The general ideas discussed remain true.

This is a heavily condensed version of the conversation that took place, in doing this the transition from one topic to the next is obscured. I have included here only that which I found most interesting.

As discussion proceeded we happened upon the question of freedom. Why is freedom so valued I wondered, what do people who want freedom really want?, I asked. They cannot wish for anarchy, that would be absurd, because without government there cannot be freedom-

I could not cultivate my fields if they are constantly a battlefield, no that cannot be it. They must speak of freedom as concerning particulars. Someone who says they wish for freedom must answer what it is they want freedom from – perhaps from a tyrant. That is the freedom they speak of.

But that is not what anyone says, people want ‘freedom’, not a particular instance of it. This is likely a product of modernity. The christian inversion must hold credit. God became man, this displacement created secular society as it is, the drive towards freedom is a consequence of this. God is no longer distant, if god himself is man, then we are the ones who can choose.

There is something to that. Nietzsche speaks of it, freedom is a consequence of the slave morality. This provides us the capacity to hold the nobles accountable.

That seems correct, the heroic kingdoms lacked private law. A personal wrong was not criminal, Aristotle speaks of theft in heroic kingdoms as absent any moral wrong. Its why duels where commonplace. The notion of freedom is certainly a recent one.

Here I paused and wondered of the origins of the notion of freedom, we discussed briefly the pragmatist conception of freedom. “It really is all language, isn’t it? Conversation all the way down”, I commented at the close of this discussion.

I asked then of the modern use of freedom, when did we shift from speaking of liberty to speaking of freedom?

Liberty comes from French.

Does that come from Liber? As in book?

Perhaps, the latin may hold some clue. I suspect though that even this takes root in the greek luc, as in lysis, to loosen.

Interesting, what of freedom? What is free?

Well German has Frei which I suspect comes from the goddess freya.

That’s fascinating isn’t it? That concepts stem from the Gods.

Definitely is.

The most basic thoughts must hold root in mythos, and mythos must hold answers to our most fundamental truths. Vico speaks of Jove being the first word, Jove. We started with fear. Then isn’t it funny that Freya is what we are after, and not Odin? But why Odin? Why is Odin the most powerful? He could not have been the first, Thor is Jove, isn’t he?

Not Thor, Tiu, as in Tuesday. The God of the sky, like Zeus and Jupiter. Ju pater… as in Sky Father. They all come from the same sound – zu, ju, tu…

That can’t be right, lightning is prior to the sky. Lightning was the first word.

I don’t think so. The first word must have had a reference, lightning was an occurrence, but I suspect it was dusk or dawn, that is what we would have noticed.

But lightning struck fear, it held an emotional weight that dusk or dawn do not.

I don’t think so, lightning was noticed yes, but I find it unlikely that it was prior to dawn and dusk. Sure lightning might have elicited more of a response though.

So lightning is the first thought?

I wouldn’t say that, but there is definitely something there.

What separates us from animals? Animals have calls, that’s distinct from our language. Isn’t it interesting that none of our words are simply screams? Because screams already mean something. Words are different.

That makes so much sense. Thunder. The first word was thunder, not lightning. The sky spoke to us, it screamed at us. It is why we tremble. The lightning accompanies thunder. Once you notice Thunder, it is impossible not to realize lightning, and that it is of the sky. The first word was still Jove, lightning. But Jove does not need to be the most powerful, Jove brought language, but once we had language, we are able to move beyond it.

bababadalgharaghtakamminarronnkonnbronntonner-ronntuonnthunntrovarrhounawnskawntoohoohoordenenthur — nuk!