: The "arbitrary" line I've drawn is based on the
: fact that our ape cousins don't use a complex symbolic
: language unless they're taught it, and even then, I
: could argue that we can't know whether the trained
: apes are responding to cues or whether they're
: exhibiting unequivocal signs of intelligence. And
: that's true. We *can't* know.
Humans don't speak complex languaged unless taught them either. Likewise, I don't know if you are simply reacting in a convincingly complex manner to years of genetic and environmental stimulae, or if you really know you're self-aware. (I do believe, however, that you ARE simply reacting in a convincingly complex manner to years of genetic and environmental stimulae - and that that level of complexity is sufficient enough for me to determine that, like me, you can probably think to yourself "I am", and are thus self-aware).
: (Feeding from my earlier point) By
: "opportunity" do you mean put in a cage and
: only let out for feedings and lessons? :P But
: seriously, would chimps and apes get this opportunity
: if we weren't able to learn and teach the language
: ourselves? Why don't they do it?
Some time long ago, an ape-man grunted and pointed at something and another ape-man's brain associated that grunt with that thing; thus was born language. The Great Apes do this to this day. Humans have, for whatever chance reasons, been lucky enough to develop more complex systems of grunts and gestures, and as they become more complex we have become more capable of creating even MORE complex systems. (Something like the principle behind Moore's Law; when technology is more advanced, it advances more quickly. When culture is more advanced, it advanced more quickly).
And now, since we've had however long to develop these complex systems of grunts and gestures, we can teach them to simpler apes who haven't had thousands of years of culture to develop them, and they can learn them to a limited degree. If by some chance these apes had managed to be left alone for a long time, and the series of chance events which led humans to think up more complex languages occurred in them, THEY could have developed similarly complex languages. But just because they haven't, doesn't mean they couldn't. We haven't chanced to stumble onto the discovories which allow interstellar travel yet - but that doesn't mean we WON'T.
: I agree. So... what made the difference? Why this
: explosion of technology and population in the last
: 2000 years?
Some chance event. Why the sudden explosion of life on earth however many billions of years ago? A few molecules of protiens and other amino acids bumped together in just the right way that, interacting with other molecules floating around, they built replicas of themselves. With so many molecules bouncing about, it was bound to happen someday.
Two thousand years ago (why that figure, BTW?), a random electron struck a neuron in the brain of a random individual who's other neurons, due to genetic and environmental reasons, reacted in such a way that he had an idea, which he communicated to others, which spawned an explosion in technology that lets me sit here and type this to you right now. With so many people all thinking at the same time, it was bound to happen someday.
