Hmmm I heard a less patriarchical theory, in line with current neurobiology (neo-cortex language centers are inherited from mother), that females started language, for using it to maintain social order (i.e. gossip), and to communicate information about berry bushes and herbs (i.e. shopping).
For me it would seem counter-intuitive that sounds would be used during a hunt, as that would scare away the prey, even now with covert-ops/swat-teams and wolves all prefer hand-signals. On Thu, Dec 27, 2012 at 8:46 AM, Ben Goertzel <[email protected]> wrote: > On Thu, Dec 27, 2012 at 7:24 AM, Anastasios Tsiolakidis > <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > On 27.12.2012, at 10:04, Brett Ward <[email protected]> wrote: > > > >> I wonder if the environment could be manipulated to favor survival of > organisms that could add and subtract ;) ? > >> > > > > In my quest to decode the primordial IQ cheat sheet, the biases that, > among other things, make us mammals and human, I concluded that both > hunting in groups and safety in groups provide tremendous incentives to > work with small numbers. In wolves this could be implemented through > anxiety signals, ie a wolf is not happy until she counts three or four > around. In a tool-using animal I can see small multiplications arising, for > example three different tools each for the 4 family members. ( the question > I am trying to answer is how much arithmetic should be build in, and how > much discovered, of course there are more anthropological ways to go about > it, but I doubt any would be more valid given our lack of good definitions, > among other things). > > > > > This sort of theme is developed at length in Derek Bickerton's book > "Adam's Tongue" > > http://www.amazon.com/Adams-Tongue-Humans-Made-Language/dp/0809016478 > > which conjectures e.g. that scavenging for meat of large animals was > probably the first situation commonly requiring humans to use language > to refer to stuff not in the immediate physical surround... > > -- Ben G > > > ------------------------------------------- > AGI > Archives: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/303/=now > RSS Feed: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/303/5037279-a88c7a6d > Modify Your Subscription: > https://www.listbox.com/member/?&; > Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com > ------------------------------------------- AGI Archives: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/303/=now RSS Feed: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/303/21088071-f452e424 Modify Your Subscription: https://www.listbox.com/member/?member_id=21088071&id_secret=21088071-58d57657 Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com
