On Sunday, February 9, 2014 7:23:12 AM UTC-5, stathisp wrote: > > > > On Sunday, February 9, 2014, LizR <[email protected] <javascript:>> wrote: > >> On 9 February 2014 17:10, Craig Weinberg <[email protected]> wrote: >> >>> On Saturday, February 8, 2014 8:55:43 PM UTC-5, stathisp wrote: >>> >>>> On 8 February 2014 05:03, Craig Weinberg <[email protected]> wrote: >>>> > If there were identical triplets, and one of them grew up on the >>>> other side >>>> > of the world and spoke a different language, while the others grew up >>>> in the >>>> > same state and spoke the same language, do you think that a >>>> neuroscientist >>>> > could figure out with certainty which triplet spoke the other >>>> language (not >>>> > by looking at trace compounds that would identify a geographic >>>> region, etc, >>>> > but strictly by the vast number of different words and phrases that >>>> they >>>> > use)? >>>> >>>> It's an assumption in science that the language difference is due to >>>> brain difference. That's not to say that our techniques are at present >>>> refined enough to see a difference, but there must be one if language >>>> is due to the brain. >>>> >>> >>> I don't think science is supposed to make assumptions. >>> >>> Assumption was the wrong word. He meant hypothesis. >> > > Strictly speaking everything is tentative and subject to revision in the > light of new evidence, but some things in science as well as in everyday > life you have to simply assume are true. For example, there is the > assumption that the ground will not disappear from under my feet when I > walk. >
I don't think that requires an assumption of truth, it is just an expectation of continuity. That the difference in what language we speak could be 'due to brain difference" I would not say follows as a condition which is plainly evident. To the contrary, computational models of consciousness would be hard pressed to explain so many differences in language. Why should we all be able to communicate with each other genetically irrespective of geography and culture, but did not begin from a similarly unified linguistic genome? The fact that human languages, even ones which are tightly related etymologically are incomprehensible to non-speakers suggests that in fact, the characteristics of language are very different from biological systems. If language was closely associated with brain differences, then we might expect certain drugs to work only if you spoke a particular language, or that there could be particular foods or drugs which would aid understanding particular languages. If you want to understand Russian better, you might drink a lot of vodka to condition your brain into a more conducive brain difference. Craig > > > -- > Stathis Papaioannou > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
