Information is numinous, without intrinsic physical form itself, and yet only ever possible to transmit, communicate or record through representation in physical media. Ideas are given legal protection in patents, but paradoxically only protected when recorded in that patent. The notions in our head need to be externalised in order to communicate to others or give rise to action. However, this is not mere transmission of existing notions in our heads, but is a crucial part of crystallising those notions and indeed enabling us to reflect upon our own thinking. Language is at the heart of this transforming learning from imitation to oral, written and now digital culture, and yet of course the origins of language are themselves rooted in our physical existence and our innate abilities as meaning seekers to interpret one another and the world. Internalising these processes of representation and interpretation is perhaps what makes us human.
Keywords: Representation, Language, Ideas, Embodied cognition, Oral culture, Written culture, Digital culture