Summary of the February 16th meeting of the Hong Kong Philosophy Cafe
Topic: "What is the value of silence?"
Moi Ying introduced the topic by suggesting that we examine the relative merits
of silence versus speech and of different types of silence. She affirmed the
saying that "silence is golden" in the sense that it allows us to think, whereas
most of the time we talk too much. Without leaving room for silence, we are in
danger of losing the ability to think for ourselves; people often tend merely to
echo what they hear and/or read.
Claudia began the discussion by suggesting that silence may result from a
variety of sources, such as a feeling of being oppressed or a fear of getting
into trouble. She mentioned the political slogan, "Walk softly but carry a big
stick", noting that silence does not necessarily imply that a person is weak.
Steve H. asked whether silence can be defined as the absence of sound. He and
several others disagreed with this common view, pointing out that we can never
achieve total absence of sound. Even in the relative "quiet" of nature, we are
surrounded with sounds. If nothing else, our own breathing and heartbeat will
prevent us from experiencing absolute silence in this sense. Nevertheless, what
we often call "silence" can be experienced concurrently with some types of
sound. With this in mind, Steve P. asked whether anyone could give a better
definition.
Sunny suggested that the term "value" is the key. The value of silence will be
different in different situations, depending on the context. For example, in a
concert the audience's silence heightens the value of the music. In a
negotiation, each party must be willing to keep silent part of the time in order
to allow all the views to be fully expressed; such silence can even be a
strategic way of gaining an advantage, if used skillfully. This illustrates how
silence can be just as manipulative as speech in some contexts.
A number of other views were then expressed in quick succession. Moi Ying
distinguished between internal noise and external noise. Steve H. said that
silence could be defined simply as "not speaking"; and in a more general sense,
silence is what enables us to measure sound. Sue compared this to the way empty
space is as important in Japanese art and design as is filled space. Someone
else observed that a silent environment can actually make noise seem louder and
more disturbing.
Grace then asked what the phrase "sound of silence" might mean. Is it referring
more to "no speaking" or to "feeling calm/tranquil"? Claudia asked whether it is
possible for a person to silence all thoughts. And Valerie asked whether any of
us present have had any experience of meditating. King responded by sharing some
details relating to his way of meditating: he does not find it possible to
suppress all thoughts; instead, he tries to achieve a state of inner peace of
mind by getting in touch with nature and with his own true feelings. Angela
related this to the theory of "chi", an energy or "air" that flows throughout a
person's body.
Claudia asked whether the relaxation a person derives from watching television
or listening to music can have the same value as such meditation techniques. She
pointed out that many people nowadays use this as a method of reducing stress or
suppressing annoying thoughts. But her own opinion is that this can be rather
negative, because it really amounts to avoiding silence by covering one kind of
noise with another. Steve P. agreed that, although such techniques may have some
practical benefits, they do not have the same "value" as techniques that put us
in touch with our own inner silence. Moi Ying suggested that music has more
inherent value in this respect than does television; the latter tends to be
little more than junk.
Claudia then commented that silences arising in the midst of a conversation can
sometimes be comfortable and meaningful, whereas in other situations they will
be uncomfortable and indicate a lack of communication. Moi Ying suggested that
the ability to enjoy such moments of silence depends on the level of security in
a relationship.
At this point Steve P. asked whether or not "absence of noise" is a suitable
definition for "silence". Tom preferred "absence of disturbing sounds" or
"absence of the communication of information" as even better alternatives. Steve
P. countered that silence can sometimes communicate information, though this
mode of communication is very easily misunderstood. And Steve H. mentioned that,
although British law gives citizens a "right to remain silent", military
personnel can be punished for "dumb insolence" if they remain silent against
orders.
After a 25-minute break Steve P. began by sharing his understanding of the
difference between meditation and contemplation. Meditation involves becoming
more fully aware of one's thought processes by allowing them to flow freely
(i.e., it requires a loosening of mental focus), whereas contemplation involves
concentrating intensely on one particular thought or object (i.e., it requires a
tightening of mental focus). In the latter case, it is sometimes possible to
reach a point where thought processes actually cease, though this goal cannot be
forced; it usually catches a person by surprise.
Claudia related this to the moment of inner calm that we often experience just
before falling asleep. Steve P. noted that this is sometimes called the
"hypnogogic state". Janice related this to her experiences of falling asleep
during lectures. Winnie agreed that going into a trance-like state during a
lecture can be a valuable experience, since otherwise the lecturer's words may
seem too much like noise. And Moi Ying related it to an experience she once had
with hypnosis. Grace recommended that we attempt to clarify the different types
of silence, since all types are obviously not equally valuable. But we did not
pursue her suggestion at that point.
Steve H. observed that in Hong Kong productivity is valued so highly that people
often feel guilty spending time just reflecting or meditating; thinking
creatively usually does not appear to be very productive, at least in the short
term, so people tend to avoid spending their time this way. He then shared an
experience he once had of a six week silent retreat at a monastery. Even though
he didn't talk to anyone, he found he was always talking and communicating with
himself. The monks who lived at the monastery seemed to have similar
experiences, though he guesses they thought of themselves as communicating with
God. He tentatively wondered whether noise might relate to silence as life
relates to death.
Grace interpreted such silent retreat experiences as indicating that silence is
not so much about the absence of communication or noise as it is about
communicating with a third agent (God or gods) and/or talking or negotiating
with oneself. Skelah agreed that silence can be regarded as a form of non-verbal
language. Angela cautioned that silence can also be non-communicative. And
Janice suggested regarding this as a fundamental distinction between two types
of silence: communicative and non-communicative. Steve H. added that when
silence is a choice, it tends not to be so oppressive.
Someone associated silence with a more extreme experience of emotions. For
example, a person who is extremely happy sometimes cannot find any words to
describe their emotional state. The same wordless state can often arise in
response to extreme sadness, fear, etc. Claudia observed that, on the other
hand, sound often has the positive value of comforting a person. This is why
people sometimes murmur to themselves when they are in danger or experiencing
other extreme emotions.
When someone emphasized that the value of speaking is related to the value of
silence, Steve P. asked if anyone could suggest a principle that determines this
relation. Sunny replied that the value of silence corresponds directly to the
extent of inner silence a person experiences in a given situation. A person who
experiences a high level of internal noise will tend to regard external sounds
as having a greater value; a person who experiences a higher level of internal
silence will tend to regard external silences as having a greater value. Janice
added that the ability to appreciate external silence depends more on the
situation, whereas the ability to enjoy internal silence depends more on each
individual's personality. Sunny agreed, opining that this is because inner
silence does not involve communication.
Grace concluded that sound and silence cannot do without each other because
without silence, we cannot know what sound is. And only when we have experienced
sound can we know the value, comforts, merits, and disadvantages of silence.
++++
The next HKPC meeting will be held on March 13. The topic, "Are there any
absolutes?" will be introduced by Steve P. Claudia agreed to serve as a guest
moderator for the meeting.
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