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Language likely promoted peace before 100,000 ya.
1Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA wrangham@fas.harvard.edu; https://heb.fas.harvard.edu/people/richard-w-wrangham.
The Behavioral and Brain Sciences
|January 15, 2024
Summary
Sophisticated language in early Homo sapiens, by 300,000 years ago, likely aided peacemaking between groups. This linguistic development also shaped social dynamics of conflict and cooperation, influencing coalition formation.
Area of Science:
- Paleolinguistics
- Evolutionary Anthropology
- Social Evolution
Background:
- Early human social structures and behaviors.
- Theories on the evolution of language.
- The role of aggression and cooperation in early Homo sapiens.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose a timeline for advanced language development in Homo sapiens.
- To explore the impact of sophisticated language on early human social dynamics, specifically peace and conflict.
- To investigate the link between language and intergroup relations, including coalition formation.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of fossil evidence for selection against alpha-male behavior in early Homo sapiens.
- Linguistic reconstruction and modeling.
- Comparative analysis of social structures in related hominin species.
Main Results:
- Evidence suggests selection against extreme dominance behaviors in early Homo sapiens.
- A proposed emergence of sufficiently sophisticated language by 300,000 years ago.
- Language is posited to have influenced peacemaking, social landscapes of peace and war, and group coalition formation.
Conclusions:
- Sophisticated language likely played a crucial role in the social evolution of early Homo sapiens.
- Language facilitated conflict resolution and cooperation, impacting group dynamics and survival.
- The development of language is a key factor in understanding the transition from aggressive to more cooperative social structures.
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