[MD] MD 4th level - The more autonomous level

[Michael Hamilton]

On 12/21/05, Platt Holden <pholden at sc.rr.com> wrote:
> Hi Mike,
>
> > Hi Platt,
> >
> > One quick question with regard to the parts of your exchange with Arlo that
> > I've quoted below:
> >
> > How would you, as an individual, have come to the point of being able
> > to write posts to the MD, or even to form the thoughts expressed
> > through your posts to the MD, without access to the English language
> > (or any language)?
>
>
> Language is one of the environmental patterns I was is born into, passed
> on from one person to the next over generations. The questions I would ask
> you is, "Who uttered the first word?" "Who was first to make a sentence?"
> Who first put a word into writing? I don't think your answers will be "A
> committee." Do you see my point?

The origins of language are murky, to put it mildly. While I agree
that no "committee" could have invented language, it would be absurd
to think that any individual could have thought to himself "I'm going
to utter the first word now" or "wouldn't language be a handy thing".

Would you at least be comfortable with the idea that, seeing as
language (and hence the meanings that furnish our individual
consciousnesses) is passed on socially, from one generation to the
next, there is a great deal of overlap between the consciousness of
each member of a society? I'm not asking you to agree with me that the
individual differences in consciousness come LATER than these shared
elements, but surely you can agree that these shared elements exist?
Without these shared elements, we'd have no hope of communicating at
all, and these words would be totally meaningless to you, rather than
merely being contentious!

Regards,
Mike