A groundbreaking study reveals that language is not essential for cognitive processes underlying thought, according to insights into how the brain functions.
For years, scholars have debated the link between language and thought, pondering whether language is a prerequisite for cognition.
British philosopher and mathematician Bertrand Russell famously asserted that language enables thought, suggesting that without it, thinking would be impossible. However, evidence from the natural world challenges this notion, as animals without language exhibit high levels of problem-solving and cognitive abilities.
Evelina Fedorenko, a neuroscientist at MIT’s McGovern Institute for Brain Research, has spent years investigating these questions. During her undergraduate studies at Harvard in the early 2000s, the hypothesis that "language creates thought" was highly influential in academic circles. Recently, Fedorenko co-authored a perspective article in Nature summarizing her research, which shows that language and thought operate as distinct entities in the brain. High-level cognition, such as problem-solving and social reasoning, can occur independently of language.
Can You Think Without Language? Is Thinking Possible Without Language?
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Evidence Supporting the Independence of Thought and Language
Two primary lines of evidence support the claim that thought and language are separate systems. The first is rooted in centuries-old methods of studying individuals with specific impairments, such as brain injuries. For instance, researchers have long examined people with aphasia, a condition that impairs language abilities. Particularly informative are cases of global aphasia, where individuals suffer severe damage to the left hemisphere of the brain, rendering them incapable of understanding or producing language.
Scientists have found that even individuals with severe language deficits can perform cognitive tasks. By using non-verbal instructions, which are possible to convey through gestures or visual cues, researchers discovered that people with global aphasia excel in tasks involving mathematics or social reasoning, demonstrating that thinking can occur without language.
Another line of evidence comes from studying infants, who lack fully developed language, and non-human species. Both groups exhibit problem-solving and reasoning capabilities, further proving that cognition is not exclusively tied to language.
Brain Imaging and the Role of Language Areas
Modern brain imaging techniques, developed in the late 20th century, provide additional insights into the independence of language and thought. By tracking changes in blood flow, scientists can determine whether brain regions responsible for language also activate during non-linguistic tasks.
For example, researchers use imaging to pinpoint language-processing areas in the brain, which are known to cause aphasia when damaged. Volunteers are asked to perform language-related tasks to identify these regions, followed by cognitive tasks like solving puzzles, memory challenges, or making decisions. Decades of studies have consistently shown that language regions remain inactive during non-linguistic cognitive tasks.
The Function of Language Beyond Thought
If language is not essential for thinking, what is its purpose? Language plays a crucial role in learning about the world, often surpassing the information gained through direct experience. It facilitates the transfer of knowledge, enabling humans to collaborate effectively, share insights about tool-making, and navigate complex social dynamics. For example, someone can warn another about a distrustful individual without requiring direct observation.
Moreover, language allows knowledge to be passed efficiently across generations, a key evolutionary advantage. This ability to transmit information is vital for preserving and expanding collective understanding over time.
Interaction Between Language and Thought Systems
The relationship between language and thought systems remains an area of active investigation. Neuroscience currently lacks tools to fully explore their interaction, but advancements in artificial intelligence provide new opportunities.
Large language models, such as GPT-2 and its successors, excel at generating grammatically correct and meaningful sentences but struggle with reasoning, aligning with the notion that language alone does not enable thought.
Fedorenko and other researchers are exploring ways to connect AI language models with symbolic problem-solving systems, akin to human cognitive systems. These efforts aim to uncover methods by which language and reasoning systems interact, paving the way for deeper understanding of how humans integrate language with thought.
Neuro-symbolic approaches, combining neural networks with symbolic reasoning, present exciting prospects for addressing these fundamental questions about human cognition.
