Wittgenstein’s Lion

This chapter points out the misunderstandings that will often arise in interactions between members of different cultures, how the challenges inherent in such communication are more subtle than most people realise, and how intellectual laziness and sloppy thinking (as well as intolerance) generally govern our dealings with the Other. A superficially adequate command of the language of communication cannot substitute for familiarity with cultural deep-structures. Although this chapter’s remit is to investigate communication problems between such national (cultural) groups as Americans and Japanese, the Other can also be someone of a different generation, gender, social class or ethnic group. His findings therefore have massive relevance for dealings with the intra-cultural, too (especially in a nation that is as diverse as India)―dealings that are made more complicated by prejudice and discursive falsification.