Chapter 23.5: Culture, Language and Consciousness

Human Brain:

Enables extraordinary achievements 

• Our abilities: Extensions of capabilities than can be found in other animals 

  • We simply have enhanced learning, creativity and problem-solving 

Consciousness

the state of being awake and aware of one's surroundings.

• Animals and consciousness: they do have the ability to produce thoughts and problem solve

• Humans: Show it to the greatest degree

  • But not unique to them as it’s also seen in animals 

Culture

Learned behaviour transmitted socially across generations

Benefits of Culture

•  Helps humans transcend biological limits 

  • Eg, clothing and shelter were culturally developed and help with survival in extreme climates

  • Human Success = Innovation + transmissions

• Cultural vs Biological evolution: 

• Biological Evolution: Slow through mutations that occur over generations 

• Cultural Evolution: Fast and can spread ideas/inventions within years

  • We are still similar to those 50000 years ago but we are culturally transformed 

Interaction of Cultural and Biology:

Cultural Change can drive biological evolution

Gene-Culture Coevolution

•  Culture changes selection pressures which shape the genes 

• Eg Lactose tolerance: Convergent evolution → developed in different areas from similar cultural practices 

  • Populations that domesticated cattle: Lactase production continued

Weaning

• Process of switching from breast milk to solid food → most people lose the enzyme lactase 

Culture in Nonhuman Animals:

• not uniquely human in many social animals 

  • Involves: Teaching, imitation and learning → not as complex as human culture 

  • Birds: regional song differences - learned by juveniles through adults 

  • Meerkats: Adults teach young how to handle prey safely 

  • Chimps: Show 39 regional cultural behavior 

    • Distinct tool use to extract insects or nuts 

Human Language:

Follows three rules that make it language

1. Grammar: Rules for combining words into infinite meanings

• Semantics and syntax

2. Symbolism: words represent ideas arbitrarily 

• They do not necessarily mean how it sounds

3. Creativity: New sentences never spoken before

Universal Grammar (Noam Chomsky):

•  Humans innately have the neural capacity to learn any language 

  • We are born with the drive to acquire language regardless of its environment 

  • Animals: can not learn complex grammar

Animal Communication

• They communicate in different forms just not with language 

• BEE WAGGLE DANCE - FOOD DISTANCE AND DIRECTION !!!! 🗣

• Vervet Monkeys: Specific alarm calls

Uniquest

 All species are unique, but humans are uniquest.

• We are not unique for the traits we have but for the degree at which they've developed in us 

• Darwin’s Words: Humans dominate the planet more completely than any other species.

  • But we remain part of nature, not above it

  • We are responsible for the future of the planet