[MD] WHY MoQ IS PARALYzED

[Ham Priday]

Ron and Craig --

I haven't researched studies on feral children, although it's an interesting 
anomaly in human development.  Of the few case histories on record, several 
are suspected of being publicity stunts, and it's often difficult to 
distinguish "wild" behavior resulting from social isolation from genetically 
produced autistic behavior.

Undoubtedly children who grow up with minimal human contact, or in the 
society of wolves or horses, will lack language skills.  It would also be 
unreasonable to expect them to interact cooperatively with other humans or 
easily adapt to the moral codes of civilized people.  Pediatric studies have 
shown that children who haven't learned to speak before the age of four have 
problems mastering language, which permanently impairs their ability to 
communicate.

In reviewing information available on the Internet, however, I have not 
found these learning disabilities referenced to "intellectual capacity" per 
se.  In the absence of language, I should imagine that IQ tests would be 
problematic at best, making an objective measure of intelligence almost 
impossible.  (Possibly you can provide more information on how intellectual 
capability is measured in such cases and what achievement scores were 
achieved.)

We have long passed the 'Noble Savage' concept of Rousseau but, in the 
manner of Hegel's 'thesis-antithesis' principle, have swung in the opposite 
direction.  Now psychologists, sociologists, and philosophers want to make a 
case for the "blank slate" individual who, in the absence of nurturing by 
society, is unable to intellectualize, form concepts, or even think.  Given 
the postmodern "collectivist" ideology, and the egalitarian mindset of 
academia, it is quite likely that such conclusions have been biased by the 
current trends.

This issue is somewhat akin to the debate over Darwin's evolution theory: 
there are arguments on either side, and the prevailing opinion largely 
depends on the weltanschauung of the moment.  Clearly a child with normal 
neurological development has the innate capacity to conceptualize, 
discriminate, and form judgments, whether he/she has had the opportunity to 
fine-tune and master these skills or not.

In any case, I find Ron's assertion that "our intellectual thoughts are 
dictated by grammar" to be an extreme position that defies common sense and 
is unsupported by empirical evidence.

Regards,
Ham