The document discusses the roles of language and reason in shaping history. It argues that language forms the context for how individuals understand the world and make decisions, as it conveys culture and biases. Reason then uses this language-shaped knowledge to arrive at conclusions and determine courses of action. Throughout history, the interplay between a nation's language and reasoning has influenced its policies and interactions with other nations. Language is also crucial for expressing and enforcing reasoned decisions, as seen in propaganda's power to manipulate masses by appealing to emotion. Ultimately, both language and reason shape how events are understood in the present and learned about in the future.

1. Jonghyun Choe
Period 4
11 December 2011
Final Essay - Discuss the roles of language and reason in history.
To discuss the roles of language and reason in history one must first define what is
meant by language and its functions in human society. Language, for the purpose of this paper,
will include only natural languages. As such it can be defined as a learned system based on
speech (reading, writing, and speaking) whose main function is to express and which is social in
nature. It serves three main purposes: to pass on information, to evoke an emotion which is not
directly related to in its meaning and to act as a symbol and action in itself. Reason, on the
other hand, is the use of inductive or deductive reasoning to arrive at a conclusion. “Deductive
reasoning is reasoning from stated premises to conclusions formally or necessarily implied by
such premises”. It relies on generalizations. Inductive reasoning, on the other hand, “takes
events and makes generalizations”. Both have been used throughout history to determine ones
course of action or to evaluate ones or others actions whether past or present.
Language, as a skill learned from ones parents and/or society carries with it one’s
culture, and socioeconomic status. As such it forms the context for an individual’s world
perception, and eventually ones place in it. Reason, on the other hand, as a skill honed through
education and experience, forms its conclusions through the lenses of language, culture and

2. other biases (e.g. gender, social status, and economic position). In essence, language shapes
what we can know and reason uses these precepts of knowledge to make decisions.
Throughout history a nation’s perception of itself, its allies and enemies has shaped its foreign
and domestic policies. These decisions have similarly been based on a context, at least partially
determined by language and reason, through which a nation clarifies its strategies and/or goals.
Such decisions are then expressed through language, which is often used to “persuade” other
individuals to support a nation’s policies thereby influencing how people both contemporary
and in the future view the events.
The role of language in shaping knowledge can be seen in the Arab Middle East. Arabic,
as the language of the Muslim religion, is a language centered on God. Even daily courtesies
such as “I am fine, thank you (al hamdeleelah).” and “Yes, I would love to (ma shallah).” invoke
God. Such language, centered around God and religion shape what Arabs can “know”. The idea
that language shapes thought has been supported by the Sapir- Whorf hypothesis.
“Human beings do not live in the objective world alone, nor alone in the world
of social activity as ordinarily understood, but are very much at the mercy of
the particular language which has become the medium of expression for their
society….The fact of the matter is that the 'real world' is to a large extent
unconsciously built upon the language habits of the group. No two languages
are ever sufficiently similar to be considered as representing the same social
reality. We see and hear and otherwise experience very largely as we do
because the language habits of our community predispose certain choices of
interpretation”. (Sapir 1958 *1929+, p. 69)’
As such Arab’s world view centers on God and religion being of primary
importance in the determination of how a nation state should be governed, the type
of economic system it should follow and the interaction it should have with other

3. states. According to Muslim religion, Islam cannot be separated from the state.
Religion, rather should govern every aspect of government. The establishment of an
Islamic state in Iran and Saudi Arabia as well as the use of Islamic Sharia law in both
aforementioned countries, as well as in family law in almost all Arab Middle Eastern
countries, demonstrates this. Furthermore the lack of interest in banking, and the
importance of charity and taxation have governed many Middle Eastern economies.
Thus language shapes the context for how they govern their nations politically, socially
and economically.
Reason uses the context of language and the goals of the players to arrive at the best
possible action. We often say that the winners write the history. One could argue that the
winner is the party who successfully enforces their reason upon the losing party. So in essence
one could further argue that reason writes history. This is evident in World War II when
Denmark succumbed to the Nazi invasion. Germany wanted to invade Denmark in order to gain
a short passage to England. Denmark concluded that the forces of Nazi Germany were greater
than the Danish forces and reasoned the best possible solution would be to allow Nazi
occupation. In essence the government of Denmark used the premises (1) Denmark is militarily
weak, (2) Germany is militarily strong to conclude that the loss of life and resources involved in
fighting a war it couldn't win would be worse for the country than allowing the invasion.
To successfully enforce one’s reason language becomes important. As mentioned above
language can act as a symbol or action in itself and this is a valuable way to apply a meaning.

4. Repeated affirmation, used extensively throughout history, is a way to socially manipulate
masses of individuals to adapt to a selected reasoning. Propaganda plays largely on invoking
emotion in the receivers, thereby “convincing” them to accept a course of action. A prominent
example would be Hitler’s extensive use of repeated affirmation through his widespread
propaganda campaigns. In fact his very own discussion of propaganda in Mein Kemp, displays
his belief that through carefully chosen words one can convince the masses. “"Propaganda
must always address itself to the broad masses of the people. (...) All propaganda must be
presented in a popular form and must fix its intellectual level so as not to be above the heads of
the least intellectual of those to whom it is directed. (...) The art of propaganda consists
precisely in being able to awaken the imagination of the public through an appeal to their
feelings, in finding the appropriate psychological form that will arrest the attention and appeal
to the hearts of the national masse”. Successfully changing the reasoning of an entire country is
a strong example of the power language holds.
In history, the smallest actions of one individual or nation can have far reaching
effects; these actions and events are understood by the actors differently and are later
learned just as differently. Ultimately language forms the knowledge and context on
which one bases its decision. Reason draws “biased” conclusions from this
“knowledge” and forms the basis on which decisions are made and actions are taken.
Language then serves to relate or explain these actions. Misunderstandings,
propaganda and cultural difference effect how people understand history thus
affecting their perceptions of history and the world itself.

5. Works Cited
"Adolf Hitler Quotes - BrainyQuote." Famous Quotes at BrainyQuote. Web. 10 Dec.
"Denmark in the Second World War." Spartacus Educational. Web. 09 Dec. 2011.
"The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis by Daniel Chandler." Ingilizce Ingilizce-ders.com Index Endex
Sayfası Yalçın İzbul Anasayfa Ingilizce Testler. Web. 09 Dec. 2011.