Like, how did they “think”
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You dont need an inner dialogue to think plenty of people today dont have an inner dialogue and they can think just like everyone else.
Also plenty of animals and all mammals can think so I dont know why the first humans shouldnt be able to think. There are other animals that also have a sense of self so it doesnt seem like you need language for that either.
I believe some investigations into people who never learned a language, shows they think in images and feelings.
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I’m not even sure it makes sense to talk about the first human. It’s like talking about your first day as an adult. You can’t point to any day and say it was your first day as an adult. Likewise you can’t point to any organism and say it was the first human. Just like everything else the degree of consciousness existed on a spectrum as our ancestors evolved.
Language is much more than just speaking and writing. Anything that can be used to communicate is a language – so grunts, facial expressions, body posture, etc, are all aspects of language.
I don’t have this exactly, but I like the definition that consciousness or the sense of self is being able to 1) create a fictional world, 2) place oneself in it, and 3) observe from a 3rd party perspective.
One of the really interesting theories in this regard is the Bicameral Mind. I know this is a controversial theory, but it makes for a very good mental exercise in thinking about consciousness.
it’s wild to think about right. like did they just have thoughts like caveman memes or what. maybe they thought in pictures or feelings before words. humans are dope
man that’s a deep question. i guess they must’ve had some kind of thoughts but probably not like we do now since language shapes our thinking. maybe they just felt things really strong but couldn’t put it into words ya know?
This subject is way to new to have a definative answer.
But one could imagine that “hearing the gods” and “seeing the gods” around the start of written language could have also been the start of an inner dialog.
i think they definitely had some kinda inner dialogue maybe it was more like vibes or feelings before they could use words. like you can have thoughts without like actual talking right? language just makes it easier to express all the cool ideas and emotions we have now.
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