Loyal to the Group of Seventeen: Star Trek's Darmok, Shaka, and the Tamarians revisited

Thomas Bitterman · 21 Jun 2014, 14:18 · from 2014-June.txt.gz

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From: tom at bitterman.net (Thomas Bitterman)
Date: Sat, 21 Jun 2014 10:18:56 -0400
Subject: (urth) Loyal to the Group of Seventeen: Star Trek's Darmok,
 Shaka, and the Tamarians revisited
In-Reply-To: <CAMwO0gxy-Jtv6jscKiYZExUCb1okWaK5bsSR-Sz67pgX97paAQ at mail.gmail.com>
References: <CAMwO0gxy-Jtv6jscKiYZExUCb1okWaK5bsSR-Sz67pgX97paAQ at mail.gmail.com>
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On Fri, Jun 20, 2014 at 5:12 PM, Gwern Branwen <gwern at gwern.net> wrote:

>
> http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/06/star-trek-tng-and-the-limits-of-language-shaka-when-the-walls-fell/372107/
> "Shaka,
> When the Walls Fell:  In one fascinating episode, Star Trek: The Next
> Generation traced the limits of human communication as we know it?and
> suggested a new, truer way of talking about the universe.", Ian
> Bogost, 18 June 2014
>
> ...

> The Ascian said, "The cries of the children are the cries of victory.
> Still, victory must learn wisdom." Foila interpreted for him. "That means
> that although children are needed, what they say is meaningless."
>

Wolfe (and Star Trek) hits it on the head - how does one learn such a
language?  Like grue-bleen it sounds good until one inquires how somebody,
who did not already know what was going on, could figure it out.
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