Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id TAA16499 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Tue, 9 May 2000 19:40:06 +0100 Message-ID: <391815DE.8BEBF2D8@mediaone.net> Date: Tue, 09 May 2000 14:42:54 +0100 From: Chuck Palson <cpalson@mediaone.net> X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.72 [en] (WinNT; I) X-Accept-Language: en To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Subject: Re: Fwd: Did language drive society or vice versa? References: <20000509134547.AAA21399@camailp.harvard.edu@[128.103.125.215]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
"Wade T.Smith" wrote:
> SCIENCE MUSINGS Did language drive society or vice versa?
>
> But what made our hominid ancestors' environment more complex - more
> ''relevant communication topics'' - than that of jackals, dolphins or
> gray parrots? Surely other species experience just as many threats to
> survival, maybe more. Our authors say: ''Presumably the increase in the
> number of relevant communication topics was caused by changes in the
> social structure.'' Which seems to say exactly nothing by way of
> explanation. We are right back to the chicken and the egg: Did language
> drive social structure or was it the other way around?
>
>
Wade - the study of the evolution of life is about improbable things. Just
because it happened once doesn't mean it will happen again.
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