양상의 통합적 고찰

Abstract

From the ancient grammarians to the current linguists the views on the mode have been vague, superficial, fragmentary, one-sided, and confusing. We need to develop the appropriate, integral views on the modal phenomena. First, I propose we describe the modal phenomena integrating the three worlds: the world, the thought world, and the linguistic world. The three worlds are connected through representation: the thought world represents the world, and the linguistic world represents the world that is represented by the thought world. The three worlds can be equivalent through representation, for the representation makes the representer and the represented equivalent. Second, we must integrate the levels of analysis: the level of the things, the level of the state of affairs, and the upper levels. Thus we can achieve the generality of the term ‘mode’. The property of a thing, and the mode of a state of affairs and the system property of a system can be dealt univocally. Third, we must use all the available resources. We must take into consideration not only the observed things, but also the observer, the scope, the context and so on. Only with integrating these things we can achieve a deeper level analysis of the phenomena. And I propose that we treat the mode in the way as how the state appears to the observer as well as the way how the state works upon the experiencer. Fourth, we must put the action at the center of all the things, or let the action define all the others surrounding it, including, of course, the mode. The action sets the goal, the process, the available sources, what it needs, what it views, and judges, and evaluates. The mode has its position in what it views, judges, or evaluates. My current article “The Preliminary Discussions for Constructing a New Category Theory”(Lee, H. C. 2020) argues that we can view the world most appropriately when we put action at the center, or the basis of all the things. Thus the mode is defined: it is the way how the world appears to the observer or how the world works upon the experiencer. And the world changes as the actor acts upon it, and the mode changes itself accordingly.