From Continuity to Contiguity: On the genesis of consciousness, culture and oral language (Part IV of IV) (original) (raw)
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Based on my previous model and supported by a biophysical interpretation of nervous cell, nervous system, memory, mind and phylogenesis, I further propose a Tensorial-Relational model, aimed at providing a paleoanthropological and physicalist’s explanations of the genesis of consciousness, culture and oral language among human communities. Part II of this four-part article series includes: 1.4 Neuron and Nervous System: evolutionary significance; 1.4.1 Memory, dissipative structures, anticipatory systems and philogenesis; and 1.4.2 From mind to consciousness.
From Continuity to Contiguity: On the genesis of consciousness, culture and oral language (Part I)
Journal of Consciousness Exploration & Research, 2016
Based on my previous model and supported by a biophysical interpretation of nervous cell, nervous system, memory, mind and phylogenesis, I further propose a tensorial-relational model , aimed at providing a paleoanthropological and physicalist’s explanations of the genesis of consciousness , culture and oral language among human communities. Part I of this four-part article series includes: Preamble; 1. General Premises; 1.1 Towards bridging the Darwinist model of evolution; 1.2 The Tensorial-Relational Model; and 1.3 Quantum descriptions of signal transduction in biological systems.
Based on my previous model and supported by a biophysical interpretation of nervous cell, nervous system, memory, mind and phylogenesis, I further propose a Tensorial-Relational model, aimed at providing a paleoanthropological and physicalist's explanations of the genesis of consciousness, culture and oral language among human communities. Part III of this four-part article series includes: 1.5 Anthropic finds from Lower to Middle Paleolithic: how and why have they been realized? 1.5.1 Lower and Middle Paleolithic artifacts, an overview; and 1.5.2 From imaginific toward conceptualization via symbolling.
Based on my previous model and supported by a biophysical interpretation of nervous cell, nervous system, memory, mind and phylogenesis, I further propose a tensorial-relational model, aimed at providing a paleoanthropological and physicalist's explanations of the genesis of consciousness, culture and oral language among human communities. Part I of this four-part article series includes: Preamble; 1. General Premises; 1.1 Towards bridging the Darwinist model of evolution; 1.2 The Tensorial-Relational Model; and 1.3 Quantum descriptions of signal transduction in biological systems. Preamble By comparing the finds dating from the Lower Paleolithic period (c. 2.7-2.4 MY to c. 300-120 TYA) with finds dating from the Middle Paleolithic (c. 300-120 to c. 45-30 TYA), it is assumed that the inner life (insight) of our distant ancestors underwent a slow process of psycho-relational and psycho-biological individuation (incubation and settling of a distinct and relatively autonomous neuro-psychological identity), a process started c. 2.7-2.4 MYA (Homo Habilis?), that only recently, in a time ranging from about 300 TYA (Homo Sapiens?) onwards, led to the formation of the relatively autonomous and independent psychic complex which we call epigenetic function of the real, or (self)consciousness. The establishment of the epigenetic function of the real marks the transition from an adaptive and supra-adaptive behaviour focused on the sensing-intuition mental bipolar dimension (C.G. Jung) and based on the primacy of the (quasi)unconditioned identification (relation of continuity) of individuals with their natural habitat (a phylogenetically inherited behavior that has in itself the neuro-psycho-relational conditions to enable the neurological-minded system homo to overcome the stereotypical behavior common to all non-human animals), to a behavior integrated by the thinking-feeling mental bipolar dimension and based on the primacy of a conditioned identification (relation of contiguity) of individuals with their natural habitat, a behavior that breaks the relationship with the existing in a subject that interprets the relationship and an object that is interpreted, thereby initiating to all intents and purposes the cultural production. Disengaging itself from the adaptive strategies inherited via phylogeny (strategies that establish the constraints that must be followed to adapt to natural habitats) humans communities undertook a slow and difficult elaboration of epigenetic adaptive strategies, increasingly directed to adapt the natural environments (domestication processes) and the individuals themselves (social processes) to the needs and purposes elaborated and assumed by the communities. The slow process that went from encoding (musically) to codification (syntactically) of oral language became a consequence of the transfer of a portion of the psycho-physical energy or libido (C.G. Jung), gained through the optimization of socio-cultural and technological strategies employed to satisfy the requirements associated to survival and reproduction, from the plane of oro-pharynx, as anatomical organ for the feeding and breathing, to the plane of oro-larynx, as anatomical instrument for intentional emission of sounds (vocalization and phonation). In more recent times (from about 40-15 TYA, Upper Paleolithic, onwards, Homo Sapiens et faber) the cultural and neuropsychological evolution of adaptive strategies based on domestication/ socialization, did recognized to the apotropaic use of the magic-word (which allows to set different physical levels of reality in relation to each other) an added value (the function of naming things as an act of legitimation of reality and the function of giving to individual an own name - semantic baptism -, as an act of initiation that assigns to individual a new value of reality) that puts the generatrix power of oro-larynx (where the pneuma is transmuted into speech by which the World is re-created) in open competition with the generatrix power of women's uterus (where the pneuma is transmuted into offspring by which the progeny is re-created).
Paleoanthropology of Consciousness Culture and Oral Language.pdf
OALib Journal, 2019
It is presented an updated version of my previous paleoanthropological interpretation of the available utilitarian and non-utilitarian Paleolithic finds (Messori 2016), aimed at establishing the earliest human developmental stages of consciousness, culture and oral language. The environmental transformations to which Earth has gone to meet from its formation to the Archean period of the Precambrian Era, during which the terrestrial proto-biological phenomenon develops, are briefly discussed. By following the quantum electrodynamic explanation of biological water it is assumed that the transition from organic to biological it would have happened during late Hadean with the formation of colloid lyophilized bubbles, dissipative systems embedded by anticipatory systems, at the phase boundary between chaotic and ordered (coherent) regimes, composed by perturbed prebiotic water maintained in a regime of oscillatory super-coherence by an endogenous electromagnetic field of suitable intensity and frequency, bounded by a selective electronic pump consisting of a semi-crystalline film of reducing water, and containing macromolecules such as proteins and amino acids, synthesized on a enantioselective basis. A brief recapitulation of the geological phases and biological events that characterized the ca. 1.5 billion years that stand between eukaryotic cells stabilization and genus Homo appearance is provided. By adopting a non-Darwinian approach, the biological phenomenon is described as an eco-systemic non-linear dissipative system embedded by super-complex anticipatory systems, at the phase boundary between chaotic and ordered (coherent) regimes, ruled by thermodynamics of non-equilibrium laws. By comparing utilitarian and non-utilitarian finds dating from Lower Paleolithic (ca. 2.7-2.4 mya to ca. 300-120 tya) with finds dating from Middle Paleolithic (ca. 300-120 to ca. 45-30 tya), it is assumed that the inner life (insight) of our distant ancestors underwent a slow process of psycho-relational and psycho-biological individuation (incubation and settling of a distinct and relatively autonomous neuro-psychological identity), that only recently (second half of Lower Paleolithic) led to the formation of the relatively autonomous and independent psychic complex called epigenetic function of the real, or consciousness, the essential requirement for there to be a fully established cultural production. The slow process that went from a musically established sound emission (second half of Lower Paleolithic), to a fully syntactical and semantics codification of a suitably emitted and articulated range of sounds, that through time became speech communication, namely oral language (first half of Middle Paleolithic), is discussed. The slow process to which oral language has gone from acquiring the power to re-create the world by naming it - semantic baptism - as an act of legitimation of reality (Upper Paleolithic), to becoming an instrument of power in the hands of the male gender (Neolithic), which thanks to it tames Nature and subjugates the generatrix power of women's uterus (where the pneuma is transmuted into offspring by which the progeny is re-created) to the generatrix power of oro-larynx (where the pneuma is transmuted into speech by which the World is re-created), is also discussed.
Proposal for a shared evolutionary nature of language and consciousness (2010. Saint Petersburg)
It is pretty obvious that language and human consciousness entertain tight relations. We could not really be conscious of ourselves without the possibility to say “I” or “me”. And language is a key contributor in our capability to identify ourselves as conscious entities existing in the environment. But the relations linking language and consciousness are complex and difficult to analyze. Evolutionary origins of language are unknown as no fossil traces have been left by our ancestors. Sciences of consciousness however begin to make available some possible evolutionary scenarios about the nature of human consciousness. We want here to propose a link between language and consciousness by using such an evolutionary scenario and also introduce the usage of a systemic approach to meaning generation. In the first part of the presentation we will use an existing scenario about the evolutionary nature of self-consciousness where the development of language has a role (1). We will highlight this role in order to identify language and self-consciousness as inter-dependant in their nature through a possible common evolutionary origin. Self-consciousness and language could then be considered as tightly inter-dependant through a common build up of human nature during evolution. The scenario presents an evolutionary nature of self-consciousness as resulting of the capability for pre-human primates to identify with their conspecifics (1, 2). The conspecifics are represented as existing in the environment, and such identification brought our pre-human ancestors to consider themselves as also existing in the environment. The scenario takes this event as being a first step for a conscious self-representation within pre-human primates, which progressively evolved toward our today human consciousness (3). But such identification with conspecifics was not for free at times of survival of the fittest. Identifying with conspecifics meant for our pre-human ancestor to also identify with their sufferings or encountered dangers. These came in addition to the dangers or sufferings naturally encountered and created a significant anxiety increase (1). The resulting level of anxiety had to be limited. One possibility for that was to develop psychological or physical tools that could have reduced the risks of occurrences and developments of such dangers and sufferings. Among these tools is the performance of language which can induces significant evolutionary advantages. We will propose a first scheme about how these evolutionary advantages could have reduced the dangers and sufferings encountered by our pre- human ancestors. We will also show how the development of language produced by itself a positive feedback on the development of inter-subjectivity in the evolutionary scenario, and so participated directly to the development of human consciousness. Other evolutionary advantages have existed like the development of imitation and synergy through experience (4). Language played a role there also, and has to be taken into account. The second part of the presentation will propose the usage of an existing systemic approach to meaning generation in terms of constraints satisfaction (5, 6). Constraints for pre-human primates, ranging from a basic “stay alive” to highly elaborated “limit anxiety”, were source of multiple meaning generations in which language has played (and still plays) a key role. Several continuations will be proposed linked to the here above thread on a co-evolutions of language and human consciousness, as based on the evolutionary scenario.
Paleoanthropology of Consciousness, Culture and Oral Language
OALib, 2019
It is presented an updated version of my previous paleoanthropological interpretation of the available utilitarian and non-utilitarian Paleolithic finds (Messori 2016), aimed at establishing the earliest human developmental stages of consciousness, culture and oral language. The environmental transformations to which Earth has gone to meet from its formation to the Archean period of the Precambrian Era, during which the terrestrial proto-biological phenomenon develops, are briefly discussed. By following the quantum electrodynamic explanation of biological water it is assumed that the transition from organic to biological it would have happened during late Hadean with the formation of colloid lyophilized bubbles, dissipative systems embedded by anticipatory systems, at the phase boundary between chaotic and ordered (coherent) regimes, composed by perturbed prebiotic water maintained in a regime of oscillatory super-coherence by an endogenous electromagnetic field of suitable intensity and frequency, bounded by a selective electronic pump consisting of a semi-crystalline film of reducing water, and containing ma-How to cite this paper: Messori, C.
Front matter of Nikolai Rozov's book "The Origin of Language and Consciousness", 2023
This book presents an evolutionary theory of the origin and step-by-step development of linguistic structures and cognitive abilities from the early stages of anthropogenesis to the Upper Paleolithic. Emphasizing the social nature of the human mind and using an extended version of C.Hempel's explanatory logic, the author proves that language and consciousness emerged and evolved through the daily efforts of our ancestors to overcome mutual misunderstandings in increasingly complex social orders with increasing tasks on memory, thinking, and normative regulation of behavior, with the addition of new and new communicative concerns. The book addresses questions such as the following: What unique social conditions led to the emergence of the first protosyllables and protowords? What steps enabled the crossing of the "linguistic Rubicon" (between animal communication and human speech)? Why were syllables and phonemes needed? How did our ancestors overcome the difficulties of misunderstanding? How, when, and why did ancient people learn to speak in turns? Why did they begin to talk about past and distant events? What is consciousness and how did it evolve along with language? How many original languages were there and why are there roughly 200 philas (language macrofamilies)? How and why did the number of languages and the degree of their complexity change in pre-written history? Did the Romance languages really evolve from Latin? Accordingly, the book will appeal to scholars in various disciplines who are interested in a better understanding of the cognitive aspects of anthropogenesis and the ancient origins of language and consciousness.
Cognitive Evolution and Origins of Language and Speech. (final manuscript)
The archaeological study of cognitive evolution is closely related to the study of the origins of speech and language. The two issues are related as a result of 1) the general nature of any form of communication and 2) the special nature of human communication. First, in general, all communication has an emitter, a receiver and a message. In most cases, the emitter and the receiver are tuned to each other's communications and there is little problem in sending or receiving the message. In all organisms other than humans there are questions about the intentional control of the messages that can be sent. Intentional communications require different cognition from those that arise without thought. Second, in the special case of humans, we have a peculiarly complex form of emitting sounds and an auditory system welltuned to hear those sounds. In almost all circumstances humans are capable of controlling the information they communicate to another person, which can be called the meaning of the message. Control of such meanings is a cognitive difference between humans and most (if not all) other animals. The problem for the study of both issues is to relate them to the material record available to archaeology.
Co-Evolution of Human Consciousness and Language
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2006
This article recalls Cajal's brief mention of consciousness in the Textura as a function of the human brain quite distinct from reflex action, and discusses the view that human consciousness may share aspects of "animal awareness" with other species, but has its unique form because humans possess language. Three ingredients of a theory of the evolution of human consciousness are offered: the view that a précis of intended activity is necessarily formed in the brain of a human that communicates in a human way; the notion that such a précis constitutes consciousness; and a new theory of the evolution of human language based on the mirror system of monkeys and the role of communication by means of hand gestures as a stepping-stone to speech.