The Age of Men vs. The Age of Chaos

In Dr. Sexson's lecture today on the different ages of language and how it has been used in mythology and storytelling, he mentioned how we are in the Age of Men (demotic language). Where we are all scientific minded and we talk and think in the way in which we need proof of what we experience and see. He also eluded to the fact that we may be slipping into this new Age of Chaos which would break down language as we use it and start us back at the beginning which is the Age of Gods. Now whether Dr. Sexson intentionally or unintentionally meant to say that we are coming full circle and starting back at the beginning, I can't be entirely sure. I would like to point out however, that I don't think it can be entirely possible for us to come full circle in the way that Dr. Sexson eluded to in his lecture. I have two reasons for this belief. First is in the way in which we have been able to record our information ever since the invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in 1440, which revolutionized the way in which the production of writings were distributed, whether or not it was before this Age of Men. Also in the last couple of centuries the advancements made in the speed in which information can be distributed through the various channels. The most influential and new channel being the internet, where anybody can look up almost anything they wanted within a matter of seconds. I believe that this availability of these writings to the masses allows for almost anybody with a sound mind to be able to become well versed in the jargon and scientific mindedness that has controlled how we use language ever since the Renaissance. For this reason, as long as people still know how to read and speak the language, I don't think we can leave the Age of Men unless our whole information system were destroyed, and anybody who knew how to set it up again were wiped out by some worldwide cataclysm (Apocalypse anybody?).

Secondly I don't think we can leave the Age of Men, because of the world of Academia that has been set up in most countries. The University system that many countries use to teach younger generations, is a way for the scientific, information, and skill minded people to transfer the knowledge of one area into another person's head. Then after that these people who now know the skills of a certain area can then start to ask questions and perform the scientific method in order to prove and advance their area of interest. With this set up I believe that the way we use language as an entire culture cannot completely slip into the Age of Chaos, without again some sort of God sent Apocalypse that brought the whole of civilization as we know it back to what we were and destroyed all the people who used language in the demotic style.

I don't disagree that much of the populous does use language in a way that has been broken down as if we were in this Age of Chaos, as was displayed very humorously by Dr. Sexson in class today. My point though is that the people who use this language are the people who don't seek out the higher levels of writing and use of language that puts us in the Age of Men. One example of this is in the slums or projects of many overpopulated cities, where peoples' lives consist of nothing that would make them understand the different uses of language as we know it, and where the English language has become degraded in a way that would put that populous in the Age of Chaos. Therefore, in my opinion, we seem to have this split of people who use language in different ways. On one side we have this academic and scientific world where everything is ordered, despite the subjectivity of language, and on another side where there is a sense of chaos in language that theoretically, through Dr. Sexson's presentation of Giambattista Vico's ideas of the progression of language, could eventually lead back to the Age of Gods. The question then becomes can this separation continue to exist, and can it continue to progress in Vico's circle of language and myth? Can the constant advancement of science destroy and bring down our poetic use of words, and destroy this progression which Dr. Sexson has brought to our knowledge?

I honestly don't know. And if the rest of the class is confused by my argument, don't worry, because I am too. All this is just what I began to think about after Dr. Sexson's lecture today. Also, if somebody thinks I left something out or would like to add or expound upon this, please reply. I realize that I may have left something out, and that I almost completely failed to relate this to the Bible. And if anybody thinks this is wrong please tell me, because I would love to find out where I went wrong, and I'm not entirely sure that I have completely grasped the subject that I'm talking about anyways. If you feel the need, please prove me wrong and point me in the right direction. Ok then, enough rambling. Bye now.