Networking brains via language enables civilization, which increases human survivability.
If singleton brains are insufficient to create civilization, then language is necessary for humans to develop civilization. Is that right?
Incidental to these issues are questions about consciousness and how it arises?
This question relates to the ongoing project scheduled for completion in 2022 sponsored by Templeton World to test contradictory predictions of Global Neuronal Workspace and Integrated Information Theory. What if the two competing theories of consciousness are both incomplete?
There are distinct ape cultures that are kept alive by making the youngers imitate actions of olders. For example, a chimp mother shows a set of objects, nut, hammer and anvil stone. That is repeated often enough until the infant grasps that these things belong together. Later the mother shows how to open nuts for food. No language is required.
In spring last year, I watched a crow parent with newfound food in the presence of a begging young bird. The parent did not simply stuff the food into its child's beak, but flew a couple of meters away, so that the young one was able to follow. Then it concealed the food while the offspring was watching. Young crows learn this way to work for a living, collect and hide food, steal from other birds' caches, and that it makes a difference whether one is watched or not. A lot of concepts can be transferred without using language. If you like, you can consider a demonstrated sequence of actions a sentence.
Regards,
Joachim
In life all theories remain incomplete until they under critical review and proof. At the moment language is important for civilization. Apes have very low status in language and that is why they have not improved their situation in the forest. The apes by now would have been protecting their places and not waiting for human beings to protect them.
Language is an enabling technology that allows people to share knowledge and and pool their resources in a collaborative way to find innovative solutions to problems and adding up their skills.
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