How children pick up a language: new review of Wolfe (Humans)

by dhw, Thursday, October 27, 2016, 10:28 (2948 days ago) @ David Turell

dhw: It is not just self-consciousness but consciousness itself that is unexplained. Self-consciousness is an extension of consciousness, and I do not put human language in the same category of inexplicability. Once you have enhanced consciousness, it seems to me inevitable that you should need enhanced modes of expression, since all organisms need to communicate what matters to them.

DAVID: I agree, but would include God's actions.

dhw: Since you include God’s actions to explain EVERY innovation and natural wonder, I was simply asking what is the point in singling out (“isolating”) human self-consciousness and language? They are apparently no more demanding of your God's attention than the weaverbird's nest. And ALL consciousness - not just human self-consciousness - is a mystery. As for human language, I think it is perfectly explicable by evolutionary theory, as I have indicated.

DAVID: Your statement is correct but skips the issue. Evolution does not explain the appearance of consciousness as you state, but the advanced language we have is a byproduct of consciousness, and so we would not have language if consciousness had not appeared.

There is no skipping of issues. All forms of communication are a byproduct of consciousness. What on earth would be the point of developing means of communication if there was nothing to communicate? I do not believe for a second that our pre-human ancestors were zombies who had nothing to communicate; nor do I think chimps, dogs, birds, ants go through life as automatons and merely grunt, bark, sing and send out chemical signals for no purpose at all. I would even go so far as to say that bacteria are conscious and use chemicals to communicate. No form of language, advanced or rudimentary, would exist if consciousness had not appeared.