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>Human language and internal thought (the infinite use of finite means) appears to be entirely unprecedented in nature The other day, the theory that dolphins

>Human language and internal thought (the infinite use of finite means) appears to be entirely unprecedented in nature The other day, the theory that dolphins might have an evolved language was discussed - a highlight was the fact that word frequency in dolphin whistles follows zipf's law [1]. I'm not saying they do, but I'm curious. If it turned out that they actually possess the ability to use language, and can even think in it, do you think would you be willing to accept that we are not inherently special? Is coherent thought magically human, or does it simply emerge from high level abstraction and complexity? [1]http://arxiv.org/abs/1205.0321 http://arxiv.org/abs/1205.0321

Omnus 11y ago
There is nothing "magical" about humans and the unique abilities we possess - I've never heard anyone intelligent argue that. If you're asking me if I would be swayed by compelling evidence, of course I would. As far as thought emerging solely from high abstraction/complexity, I think that is probably wishful thinking. It seems more likely that a specific kind of brain architecture is required for these abilities to arise. Complexity/abstraction may be a part of that architecture, but our brains do not seem to be much more complex than chimpanzee brains, so there is likely some sort of wiring or other structural component that gives rise to our unique capabilities. The anthropologist Ian Tattersall has written about some of these issues extensively.