--- cultural historian Tom Wright talking to David Runciman, The History of Bad Ideas: Charisma, 26 June 2025, at time code 2:40
Excerpt
That's why I'm really interested in [the word charisma]: The way we talk about politics shapes the kind of politics we end up with
This expression is in line with ideas attributed to other thinkers, e.g.,
Benjamin Lee Whorf: "Language shapes the way we think, and determines what we can think about" (attrib. on Goodreads, no pin cite)
Ludwig Wittgenstein: "The limits of my language mean the limits of my world" (attrib. on AZquotes, EF.com), "If we spoke a different language, we would perceive a somewhat different world" (EF.com).
Julia Penelope: "When we speak, we exercise the power of language to transform reality" (AZquotes ,EF.com).
