Teleology & evolution: Vocal cord development (Introduction)

by dhw, Friday, December 16, 2016, 12:22 (2694 days ago) @ David Turell

dhw: The case made by the new research is that monkeys can’t speak like us because they don’t have the brains, not because they don’t have the vocal apparatus. But it doesn’t really make any difference to our disagreement. You think your God gave us the apparatus first, just as you think he gave pre-whales their new anatomy before they entered the water. I suggest a natural process the other way round: we and the whales developed new apparatus as a result of new – perhaps self-imposed – needs (to make new sounds, to adopt an aquatic way of life). And both hypotheses are theoretical.

DAVID: Except, we have fully accepted evidence that anatomic vocal tract bony changes started with or before H. habilis, a couple million years ago. Habilis appeared with the changes. Do you think Australopithecus thought, I need to find a way to communicate better than hand gestures? I still think God makes species, species don't make new ones by themselves.

Our ancestors had voices. Monkeys have voices. Monkeys communicate with their voices and their hands. My guess is that early humans did the same. And as their enhanced consciousness brought the need for enhanced communication, they used their voices to produce new sounds, and just as physical exercise can influence the muscles, the effort to produce new sounds brought changes to the vocal tracts. As I said, the new discovery doesn't actually change our basic premise. But I still think it favours mine over yours, if it's true that the physical capability was already present in monkeys. No need, then, for your God to fiddle around.