2025 06 10

Human speech as a form of projective identification. When I speak to you, I intend for you to form certain beliefs, often highly complicated ones, about what I believe. I want to make you believe what I believe (generally speaking).

I am struck by the sophistication of this, and am reminded of David Lewis’s book Convention, where he describes a sophisticated system of behavior and expectation that makes linguistic communication possible. I used to think it far-fetched; now I think it prescient.