Wolf posits they're all wrong, that evolution ceased when man learned language and further that evolution ceased for the animals as well. He fills out his theory very nicely by setting each proponent for the main things we think, or in their place and their time.
Chief among his argument are demonstrations of sensory deprivation in which subjects begin hallucinating within hours. Also he places emphasis on status. Wolf describes how status is defined depending on the group one finds oneself, and how status actually determines physical evolution, that is, speech determines evolution, and not evolution creating speech. Wolf cites Noam Chomsky addressing the speech in animals. It doesn't exist. Chomsky maintains there is no sign that speech evolved from any form lower than man, there is no missing link to speech, there is absolutely nothing in any other animal to link up with.
Even before I left graduate school I had come to the conclusion that virtually all people live by what I think of as a "fiction-absolute." Each individual adopts a set of values which, if truly absolute in the world--so ordained by some almighty force--would make not that individual but his group . . . the best of all possible groups, the best of all inner circles. Politicians, the rich, the celebrated, become mere types. Does this apply to "the intellectuals" also? Oh, yes. . . perfectly, all too perfectly.Wolf describes brain studies that locate areas of the brain that control behavior. He is claiming our sense of self is entirely environmental, that removed from environment humanity ceases to exist. Wolf insists without language there is no culture no humanity at all. And Wolf claims evolution stopped when man began to speak.
Apparently this is creating buzz for a new non fiction book and from this intriguing contrary essay of his I'm interested but I do not see anything yet on his Amazon page.
Oh, Kingdom of Speech out in August.
Preorder Amazon, Kindle version.
