Teleology & evolution: Vocal cord development (Introduction)

by dhw, Monday, December 19, 2016, 12:48 (2896 days ago) @ David Turell

DAVID: Many thoughtful folks I read point out that we think in words which is what expands our ability to conceptualize and develop abstract thought. Speech before deep thought.

dhw: Of course we think in words that have already been invented, but how do you imagine words get invented in the first place? Do you believe your God says to somebody “computer” and then somebody invents a computer? Every word in the great collective store of every language must have had its origin in an object or idea that needed a NEW “sound” (word) to express it. The object or thought precedes the invention of the word that describes it. Then, and only then, do we the inheritors use the words in our thoughts.

DAVID: We are in agreement. Of course sounds with meaning, words, come first.

You are agreeing with the exact opposite of what I have written. The object or thought comes first, and someone invents a word to describe it. Only after its invention does it become part of our thinking.