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Foucault: Power is everywhere 
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Joined: Tue Feb 28, 2012 3:53 am
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Post Re: Foucault: Power is everywhere
Thanks DSimon.

Quote:
language as the evolution of consciousness


Coming from an evolutionary psychological point of view, Julian Jayne's theory consciousness being a by product of language comes to mind.

JJ also looks at historical consciousness and points out how it seems to be different to ours, especially when we look at ancient art and the writings of the Illiad.

The art of the ancient Egyptians and Mayans is also so radically different, I think it suggest differing levels of consciousness. Only when you are on that level can you perhaps decipher it. Much like you cannot access memories of early childhood - I think this is to do with a different level of consciousness.


Indeed. Whorfian Hyothesis from Benjamin Whorf says that the language and words we use determines out consciousness. His example is Eskimos who have 25 words, or so for snow, while we have but one. There is more precise locating of the language center of our brain and how it functions to make us unique. Different levels of consciosness is quite possible


Thu Apr 19, 2012 4:45 pm
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Joined: Fri Apr 06, 2012 2:36 pm
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Post Re: Foucault: Power is everywhere
I think there is a huge link between language and consciousness.

Wernickes area is one part of the brain, located usually in the left hemisphere.

When they showed monkey's a film of a person reaching for grapes on a vine, the monkey's copied the grasping action with their hands and salivated.

The area that lit up in the brain of these monkeys whilst watching this and imitating the person in the film was Wernickes area.

So understanding and 'grasping' the meaning of something and empathy is massively linked to metaphor and language.

We are also a predominantly right handed world, this is no accident. Tool making and mechanism also spring from this part of the brain. Grasping and manipulating the world around us.


Thu Apr 19, 2012 8:53 pm
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Post Re: Foucault: Power is everywhere
I think there is a huge link between language and consciousness.

Wernickes area is one part of the brain, located usually in the left hemisphere.

When they showed monkey's a film of a person reaching for grapes on a vine, the monkey's copied the grasping action with their hands and salivated.

The area that lit up in the brain of these monkeys whilst watching this and imitating the person in the film was Wernickes area.

So understanding and 'grasping' the meaning of something and empathy is massively linked to metaphor and language.

We are also a predominantly right handed world, this is no accident. Tool making and mechanism also spring from this part of the brain. Grasping and manipulating the world around us.


It's a wild coincidence that you should write about right handed predominance. I listened to several elderly people talking about this the other day. I was not eavesdropping but recall one old woman saying something like "I started out left handed but then I was trained to use my right hand" and they talked a little more about this subject but I was reading a magazine and tuned it out. Then I heard "before you leave this earth you will go back to using your left hand, that's what I think." or something to that effect I was not really paying attention to their conversation but what I just read here immediately triggered this memory and I even had to struggle for a minute to recall where I got it from.

Apologies if that was off topic.

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Thu Apr 19, 2012 9:02 pm
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