In my quest to figure out what a human even is, I have revisited the Pirahã, because Noam Chomsky says universal grammar is recursion, but the Pirahã language doesn’t appear to have recursion. And no, species are not actually always defined in terms of reproduction. For one, many microorganisms are asexual so their species can’t be defined based on that, but more relevant to defining what a human is, hominids used to be a species that freely hybridized, and all the Homo sapiens and the Cro magnons and the Neanderthals and the Devinsonians would all interbreed but still be considered different species. Whether or not they’re all “human” is yet another layer to that, but still a starting point is trying to figure out what kinds of characteristics define a human being. Aspects of cognition seem like the best candidate, though if Pirahã lack those that would either mean humans don’t all have those or Pirahã aren’t human, and the latter would be fairly likely to get you called racist even if Pirahã isn’t a race because of the politically charged climate.
Species Concept - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics
Daniel Everett thinks that Pirahã do lack specific aspects of cognition but he also says he believes they only lack them because of their culture and not because of any biological aspect. Everett unlike Chomsky is not defining humanity on the basis of shared cognition, but also unlike Chomsky, he isn’t basically hand-waving it and going like “well, if some humans lack legs that doesn’t say anything interesting about human locomotion.” One, I think people tend to see cognition as much more central than locomotion, because even if “lame” is an insult “stupid,” “retarded,” and “insane” are much stronger. Two, I don’t think there’s an entire tribe of people without legs somewhere that people are debating about. Another aspect of the debate on cognition that I think is very overlooked is exactly how Everett contacted the Pirahã in the first place: he was a missionary to them. People debate over whether or not IQ tests are racist and I think some aspects of them are probably a little racist/racially biased in addition to the fact I don’t think they’re all that useful since they cap out pretty early and the ones that give some people 200+ are literally just designed by high-IQ societies as an entrance exam and don’t even touch the underlying aspects of cognition, but at least all humans who aren’t drooling over their handlers can usually take IQ tests. The Pirahã aren’t drooling over their handlers, but they literally can’t add one and one to get two. I have explicitly read their cognition compared to that of intelligent animals like monkeys and ravens because apparently removing recursion does get rid of higher-order cognitive function, much like Chomsky predicts. That doesn’t make them animals, but it’s odd that an entire group of people are at least functioning like animals. What’s even odder though is the fact the Pirahã children do seem to be able to learn things like math and counting normally if they’re taught Portuguese, but that seems to me not to be the causative factor which I’m just about to get to.
Don't Count on It | Scientific American
DE: Linguistic complexity depends on which developmental phase a culture finds itself in. Languages develop, and with this their complexity, meaning the degree of nesting. Apparently the Pirahã don't possess this from birth. Language, thus, has less to do directly with our biologically determined cognitive abilities than Noam Chomsky, Steven Pinker and others would like to have it.
The Pirahã don’t possess this from birth, but most of humanity also seems to not possess this from birth, it seems to be developed. The part that makes it not look solely cultural is the fact that once the Pirahã don’t develop it they can’t at all. So almost all of them go through their lives with the level of cognition of animals. The Brazilian government has banned Daniel Everett from even visiting the Pirahã because he treats them like a bunch of “noble savages” and this is hugely to their disadvantage, and I think the Brazilian government is right to do this. I think the Pirahã children should be allowed to learn Portuguese. Imagine going through life never being able to think. Then, that might just be personal preference, I’m sure dogs are fine going through life never having higher-order thoughts, and that’s probably where Everett is coming from.
DE: Of course. People such as linguist Noam Chomsky of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology or psychologist Steven Pinker of Harvard University believe in an inborn language ability that grows out of our innate intelligence.
In this sense, Gordon's findings point in the opposite direction, namely, toward the hypothesis enunciated by anthropologist Benjamin Lee Whorf, in which one's mother tongue influences thinking. In this case, it means that the Pirahã don't know any counting words; therefore, they cannot think in numbers. All these approaches have one thing in common, in that they are based on a very close connection between language and cognition. These hypotheses completely ignore, however, what roles other influences such as culture might play.
I think, however, the answer to this particular dilemma has been hidden in plain sight from the people involved in the controversy all along, and it does seem to be neurological, though the extent to which it’s innate is an entirely different question:
Pirahã build simple huts where they keep a few pots, pans, knives, and machetes. They make only scraping implements (for making arrowheads), loosely woven palm-leaf bags, bows, and arrows.[5] They take naps of 15 minutes to, at the most, two hours throughout the day and night, and rarely sleep through the night.[6]: xvii, 13, 70, 79 [Emphasis mine]
You see, the Pirahã don’t sleep because there are snakes. This is literally the title of the book all the controversy is over. What impact do you think not sleeping might have on the brain? Can we do brain scans on the Pirahã or would that be racist? It would explain basically everything though. I mean, even the Pirahã girl who stayed in the hospital and went back to the tribe probably slept like an average Brazilian citizen in the hospital and didn’t sleep when she went back to being with the Pirahã. Furthermore, Daniel Everett probably didn’t need to evangelize to the Pirahã since they don’t seem to be mentally competent anyway and they just can’t understand a word of what he’s saying just like you don’t need to evangelize to your dog if they don’t understand a word of what you’re saying. Everett becoming an atheist due to the Pirahã is like becoming an atheist due to your dog: no one does that except people who are really looking for an excuse to be an atheist in the first place. However, the Pirahã are probably really different if they’re actually capable of learning. If they are capable of learning they should. Looking into their history, even if they don’t believe in history themselves, seems useful even if it will irritate the postcolonialists.
I don’t think I’m that much closer to answering my question of what a human even is, because the Pirahã children at least seem to be generally able to learn Portuguese and counting so they aren’t just inheriting an animalistic brain from their parents even if it’s very odd that these people basically don’t even seem to act human if humanity is defined in terms of the cognitive abilities Chomsky has outlined. However, I do really want someone to do some brain scans and other research on the Pirahã because if it’s true they don’t have recursion and that recursion is responsible for higher-order cognition, but they also seem to either lose or never gain the ability because they don’t sleep, this would tell us a tremendous amount about neurology and its relationship to cognition. However, neurology has its own problems with not really being able to measure anything I would like to measure since I think cognition works in terms of brain waves and neurologists are stuck blaming everything on chemicals which seems to lead them to only be able to study the most simplistic and base phenomena.
Neurons are fickle. Electric fields are more reliable for information. | Picower Institute (mit.edu)
‘Traveling’ nature of brain waves may help working memory work | Picower Institute (mit.edu)
I like nearly 101 things about and hovering roundabout this piece, Michaela. And of course I'd do well to read or at least peruse the book, which I will do. Especially because I'm very interested in Language and what it means to be Human too. But I will say this -- I am beyond thrilled that the Pirahã (see: pariah and symbolic name duly noted. Human perfection at work, folks) are vexing. Beguilingly and Beautifully so! Without dismissing their (see? my coping mechanisms, however Human, have already kicked in Big Time, and have deployed Language, see: "their", to help me, with what? Survive! Survive what? The Truth, no doubt. yeesh!) inherent worth (a BS term and vaporising fast in the face of even the possibility! of the Pirahã) any and all Light cast on them helps to define ourselves. In ultra high def focus. To devistating or remarkable degree. Now already waistdeep in this note, I'm reminded of the DeLillo novel: Ratner's Star. Well. I'll try to gather my thoughts or not and simply enjoy how sheerly dismantled I've become with even the merest hint of, not thee Pirahã -- but my pariah. As I quickly learn (far) more (than my coping can handle. thankfully) of what a Human truly is.
Warm appreciation for introducing me to this!
I think ;)
Very interesting stuff, thanks for this.
Have you read a book called The Unlikely Peace at Cuchumaquic: The Parallel Lives of People as Plants: Keeping the Seeds Alive by Martin Prechtel ?
It explores the psychology, linguistics and societies of both the Mayans of Guatemala and the people native to New Mexico in the US.
I am also curious if you have ever studied the famous Terra Preta and manmade food forests of the Amazon?