Re: Koko the gorilla website

In a message dated 9/19/2000 7:30:44 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
fortytwo@GDN.NET writes:

<< Tools existed long before large brains.  And as for language, it's
 really a guess as to when it appeared. >>
Well, to say "left hemisphere development" does not necessarily mean a large
brain; it merely means partial development of what was previously
underdeveloped (wow that kind of sounds like doublespeak- but that is a
totally different discussion!!). Because left-brain development and right
hand-eye coordination go hand in hand, so to speak, it is hard to say if the
creation of various tools developed the brain or if the brain developed in a
period of great evolution, thus spurring the development of the left brain.
Language is centered in the left side, and some people (Chomsky and Goulds I
think it was) theorized that language was a side-effect of this brain
development, comparing it to the analogy of using cheaper Roll film to
develope pictures accidentally giving rise to motion pictures.
Also, it is scientifically proven that the level of development of different
sections of the brain is directly connected to problem solving of all kinds;
that is why when a certain chemical is traced through a "stupid" person's
brain, their whole brain lights up like a pinball machine as they figure out
what section of their brain they have to send the problem to. The smarter
person's testing show that the path of the chemical goes straight to the
correct place. This realy has nothing to do with the topic at hand, but I
just liked the pinball simile. Sorry :o)