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The collective invention of language to access the universe of possible ideas

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 August 2003

Roy F. Baumeister  and
Kathleen D. Vohs
Roy F. Baumeister
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-1270 rfb2@po.cwru.edu
Kathleen D. Vohs
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0251 kathleen.vohs@psych.utah.edu
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Abstract

Thought uses meaning but not necessarily language. Meaning, in the form of a set of possible concepts and ideas, is a nonphysical reality that lay waiting for brains to become smart enough to represent these ideas. Thus, the brain evolved, whereas meaning was discovered, and language was invented – collectively – as a tool to help the brain use meaning.

Type
Brief Report
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 25 , Issue 6 , December 2002 , pp. 675 - 676
Copyright
© 2002 Cambridge University Press

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