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

by dhw, Tuesday, November 01, 2016, 14:28 (2943 days ago) @ David Turell

DAVID: And what a difference there is. Animals make noises with small brief meaning, and use body language for the rest of their communications. We speak, read and write esoteric thoughts. No comparison. Different in kind.

dhw: Of course our language is different in kind. And infinitely more advanced. And it is a product of our advanced consciousness, just as chimp, chicken, dolphin and ant languages are different in kind and are products of their less advanced consciousnesses. We seem to be in agreement.

DAVID: Yes human consciousness different in kind. Thank you.

I was talking about languages, but I agree that chimps, chickens, dolphins, ants and humans are likely to think like chimps, chickens, dolphins, ants and humans and not like one another. We are indeed all different in kind. But I also agree that like our language, our consciousness has evolved to be infinitely more advanced and more complex than that of all the other different kinds of animals.