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I can't say this is backed by anything, i don't know, but my gut feel is humans are somewhat different in that they have developed language both spoken and writ
by mbfg 2y ago
I can't say this is backed by anything, i don't know, but my gut feel is humans are somewhat different in that they have developed language both spoken and written to such an extent, that now there is a constant journaller as part of most people's minds documented everything we do, feel, think. This journaller basically happens autonomously, without direction. This journalling mechanism, i think, is what most people consider consciousness.
I suspect we fool ourselves into thinking this journaller has any control over our situation and so we give it more value than it has. I don't see how it would give us free will, for instance. But it is a powerful illusion, none the less.
I've had lots of dogs, horses, cats, and think they all are on the consciousness spectrum, but i'm guessing (couldn't possibly know) that they lack this constant overarching journaller in their brains. For species that have a richer communication, i still don't think they would have this... I think the need to write down language, and make it available to others asynchronously plays a part in it.
Interestingly, some people report that they have no such journaller, or sometimes called inner voice that talks to them. I have no way to know what it's like to be them, or if my understanding of what they are saying is indeed what they are saying, but if true, i wonder if these folks are more like what other animals feel in their heads. I have no clue. Frankly, i can't imagine that someone wouldn't have a journaller in their heads, and so it's even hard for me to imagine. I assume i just don't understand.
- jbarberu 2y agoI definitely don't have an inner voice. I certainly can "enable it", for things such as composing this reply. But in general I'd describe it as a stream of thought, not bound to any language. Then when I need to actually communicate I "pipe" it through whatever language I need (I grew up in a home with multiple languages, don't know if that influences it). One way I notice this is how thoughts are generally unpacked and stored without a language association, meaning I can't remember how people phrased something, only how I interpreted it. I feel like this is a decent memory optimization, but it drives my wife nuts and can be very unhelpful during arguments...
- Unbefleckt 2y agoI'm the same but I tend to remember very precisely what people say. My partner is the opposite and yeah it's frustrating as hell especially when I'm being misquoted from mere minutes ago.
- mbfg 2y ago>> I'd describe it as a stream of thought, not bound to any language. as it's your head i accept that at face value. However i couldn't possibly understand how that could possibly work. How do you think not in a language not in words? What are the "atoms" of stream of thought for you, is it picture based, or??? My head talks to me all day long, unprovoked, uncontrolled by myself and in english. i can certainly interrupt and quiet it if i like, but i just am doing something ordinary and notice that i'm mentally talking to myself. As a corrolary... when you read a book, what is that experience like? do you have a reader reading the book to you? Do you 'hear' words as they are read. I don't mean audibly, but is a story told to you as you read? To me this journaller is very similar to what i sense when i read a book, altho obviously it's not surprising in the book reading sense.