Mark Changizi
Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, Florida
The Nature of Language and Music
Abstract
Language (writing and speech) and music are central to what it means to be human. But where did they come from? In his book "Harnessed", cognitive scientist Mark Changizi argues that language and music are in us not because we evolved for them, but, rather, because they evolved for us. Over history, language and music came to have the structure that our non-language and amusical brains could brilliantly absorb. In particular, language and music came to mimic the structures in nature, just the sorts of stimuli our brain had evolved to process. It is this “nature-harnessing” that explains who we are today.
Images Related to the Talk
Complexion, illusion, and junction functions (1)
Complexion, illusion, and junction functions (2)
Complexion, illusion, and junction functions (3)
