Different in degree or kind: Egnor's take (Introduction)

by David Turell , Tuesday, September 27, 2016, 16:00 (2769 days ago) @ dhw


> DAVID: Of course they needed the best communication they could develop. Mc Crone describes the probable vocal abilities of pre sapiens. But he states that proper speech required the prior development of the anatomy.
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> dhw: If the changes resulted from the need to make new sounds, the speech and the anatomy would have developed simultaneously, just as exercise and muscular development go together in a single process. - No, species had to appear with the anatomic changes first. All the fossils we have show jumps in the changes from earlier to later forms. With the new modifications the new species would then learn to use them. First anatomy, then more advanced speech.
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> dhw: All of this makes nonsense of the claim that evolution cannot explain language: it is a perfect example of evolution at work: in this case, the physical form adapts itself to new requirements as part of the drive to improvement. - Our advanced language did not require just the anatomic changes of our oral parts, but the development of a brain large enough to handle the complexities of spoken, written and read language. H. sapiens had the big brain 200,000 years ago and the oral parts, and then had to learn how to use them to reach the sophisticated language we have now. Tools first, application second.