Society and language: a pernicious relationship? A reflection on Social Isolation

Abstract

In this conference, the professed Rajagopalan, through a current event: the Covid-19 pandemic and social isolation, reflects on the individual / society relationship. This reflection begins with the thinking of Rousseau's good savage - man, initially, is pure, the society that corrupts him, in other words, society would be a pernicious organism that affects / infects human beings; pure by nature and healthy. This reflection serves as a bridge to the concept of umbigofilia - too much self-concern and indifference, or even repudiation, to the collective / social. In addition, the teacher questions the role of society in language studies: should research on language go from outside (society) to inside (individual) or should the movement be the opposite? Finally, the teacher reminds us that “there is no subject without society and he cannot live trapped in a web”.