The formal structure of language – the way that the syntax and semantics interface – would suggest that languages may be optimized for providing instructions to conceptual systems and not for expressing unambiguous, transparent, rapid thoughts to others. […] The nature of grammatical rules and processes are terrible for communication, but excellent for thinking - Discussion between Elliot Murphy and Michael Levin 1
Link to originalOur intuitions are often wrong
“Language is mainly useful/developed for communication.” Nope.
How mass and motion work.
epistemology: “No statement can be true or false at the same time.” Nope: “This statement is false.”
ethics: “Reducing pain and suffering should be the primary guiding principle about life.” Too simplistic, see note.
meta-physics: “Everything needs to have a suffienct reason/cause.” Nope: …
…
Yes. Many kinds of thought don’t require language. Adults with profound aphasia can still reason, plan, do math, and navigate social situations. But language likely helps build some cognitive abilities during development (e.g., exact numbers, theory of mind).
Basal cognition shows learning, memory, and problem-solving in plants, slime molds, single cells, and even in body tissues via bio-electric signaling. Intelligence scales from cellular collectives and has big implications for regeneration, cancer, and embodied AI.