Alfred Korzybski and General Semantics with Rolf Sattler (4K Reboot)

Summary

Biologist Rolf Sattler joins Jeffrey Mishlove to revisit Alfred Korzybski's General Semantics, a once-influential system built on the idea that the map is not the territory. Sattler argues that confusing words, labels, and images with reality is a kind of everyday insanity behind prejudice, political hostility, and scientific dogmatism. The conversation links Korzybski's 'silent level' of reality to mystical traditions and pushes back on critics who called General Semantics a pseudoscience.

Key takeaways

• 1Alfred Korzybski (died 1950) published his magnum opus 'Science and Sanity' in 1933, subtitled as based on non-Aristotelian logic
• 2Korzybski's lesser-known slogan: 'Whatever you might say something is, it is not'
• 3Korzybski proposed 'extensional devices,' such as avoiding the 'is of identity' and 'is of predication' and adding 'etc.' to statements. The Institute of General Semantics' journal is titled ETC
• 4Skeptic Martin Gardner labeled General Semantics a pseudoscience, and Sattler disputes this using evidence that perception is selective
• 5Recommended books include 'Selections from Science and Sanity' and 'Drive Yourself Sane' by Kodish and Kodish
• 6General Semantics influenced S.I. Hayakawa, Gregory Bateson, neuro-linguistic programming, Albert Ellis's REBT, and E-Prime (writing English without the verb 'to be')

Glossary terms

Source

Transcript excerpt

It is a kind of insanity if one confuses the map with the territory or if one confuses an image with reality or if one confuses a language, whatever is said through language, with the territory, with reality. One very important slogan by Kossipsky that is less known is, whatever you might say something is, it is not. I think this is an enormously important statement. That means whatever I might say about myself, I am not. Whatever I might say about you, you are not. Whatever we might say about the U.S., Russia, China, it is not. And whatever we might say about God, God is not. I mean, this is really of enormous significance, isn't it? Keep watching to learn more. New Thinking Allowed is presented by the California Institute for Human Science, a fully accredited university offering distant learning graduate degrees that focus on mind, body, and spirit, the topics that we cover here. We are particularly excited to announce new degrees emphasizing parapsychology and the paranormal. Visit their website at cihs.edu. The New Thinking Allowed Magazine, Issue 10, on UFOs and UAP, is now ready for free download. And you can also order beautiful printed copies. Go to newthinkingallowed.org. Book 4 in the New Thinking Allowed Dialogue Series is Charles T. Tartt, 70 Years of Exploring Consciousness and Parapsychology. Now available on Amazon. Thinking Allowed. Conversations on the Leading Edge of Knowledge and Discovery with psychologist Jeffrey Mishlove. Hello and welcome. I'm Jeffrey Mishlove. Today, we'll be discussing Alfred Korzybski and General Semantics. ...

Excerpt from New Thinking Allowed, Oct 27, 2026. Rights remain with the original creators. Hear the full episode at the source.