is speech useless

Speech does more than transmit information — it helps make us who we are. When we speak we publicly express beliefs, feelings, and intentions; that expressive act both reveals and shapes our inner life. Wittgenstein (Philosophical Investigations) highlights how language is woven into forms of life: meaning is grounded in the social practices through which we articulate and recognise others’ mental states. Charles Taylor (Sources of the Self) develops a complementary idea: our identities are dialogical and moral — we become selves by articulating commitments and being recognised by others within a linguistic horizon of reasons. Together these thinkers suggest two linked points: (1) expression communicates mental states to others, enabling interpersonal understanding and coordination; (2) expression constitutes selfhood by allowing us to locate ourselves in a moral and social space — to endorse, revise, and be held accountable for our attitudes. Thus speech is neither merely ornamental nor purely informational: it is constitutive of identity and agency. References: Ludwig Wittgenstein, Philosophical Investigations; Charles Taylor, Sources of the Self.