What on Earth is Qi? - The Linguistic Perspective - Part 1

Critical Mind, Embodied Spirit

#004 - Insert the word ‘qi’ into an English sentence and you’ve immediately scored some esoteric and mystical points from some people, but in doing so you’ve invariably put other people off, making them think you’re either totally bonkers or simply that you’re demonstrating your allegiance to a particular worldview rooted in Bronze Age China. The term ‘qi’ has become a catch-all box in the English language where you can throw the products of your wildest imagination but inside of which you are protected by unquestioning belief or unquestioning disbelief. In this episode, Barnaby Kent looks at the phenomenon of ‘qi’ (气, 氣, 気, 炁) from the perspective of linguistics and linguistic philosophy exploring why disagreements over the existence of ‘qi’ might be more to do with a conflict in linguistics and less to do with a conflict of worldviews.