Naked Science Forum
General Discussion & Feedback => Just Chat! => Topic started by: puppypower on 17/02/2018 12:08:47
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https://sites.utexas.edu/dsb/tokens/the-evolution-of-writing/ (https://sites.utexas.edu/dsb/tokens/the-evolution-of-writing/)
the Mesopotamian cuneiform script, invented in Sumer, present-day Iraq, c. 3200 BC, can be traced without any discontinuity over a period of 10,000 years, from a prehistoric antecedent to the present-day alphabet. Its evolution is divided into four phases: (a) clay tokens representing units of goods were used for accounting (8000–3500 BC); (b) the three dimensional tokens were transformed into two-dimensional pictographic signs, and like the former tokens, the pictographic script served exclusively for accounting (3500–3000 BC); (c) phonetic signs, introduced to transcribe the name of individuals, marked the turning point when writing started emulating spoken language and, as a result, became applicable to all fields of human experience (3000–1500 BC); (d) with two dozen letters, each standing for a single sound of voice, the alphabet perfected the rendition of speech. After ideography, logographs and syllabaries, the alphabet represents a further segmentation of meaning.
An interesting observation is connected to the time parallel between the Creationist's view of the age of the universe and the evolution of written language; about 6000 years ago. This suggest that the invention of written language, had an impact on the human psyche, which changed humanity. "In the beginning was word and word was God." God may have been the first written name, inspired by the gods; unconscious mind. A name brings one into focus.
The importance of written language, with respect to differentiating modern human consciousness, can be seen with a simple example, Say you went to college, but there was no written language. You can't take notes, the teacher can lecture, but without projectors and textbooks. There are no written exams. It would not be easy to learn the same material, if we had no written language.
The main problem this would create is the members of the class may not agree on what was said and taught, since all has to be done by recollection. There is no record, and we all need to depend on our memory, which if you day dream or doze off, will be blank. There is no easy way to get together and agree. The result will be the mighty and the confidence men will become the source of information, for the rest of the students. The mighty can back up his opinion with a fist and the confidence man sounds convincing; fake news. The result will be inner doubt or obsession, and a rapid loss of the memory. People will return to an instinctive routine, unless there is a one on one apprenticeship.
Once a system of writing is in place, if the mind starts to doubt and forget and return to instinct, there is a way to refresh the memory in a consistent way for all, that is in contradiction to the inertia of instinct. The invention of writing caused a type of instinctive repression.
In other words, what was known in 3000 BC, was not the final reality, It was some of the first baby steps. To force the brain to remember that, which is not eternal or universal, like instinct, is repressive even of popular. The mind will want to extrapolate, but it is carved in stone and sacred; repeat. As the brain becomes dammed, neural energy is available that induces a secondary center of consciousness associated with choice and willpower.
Currently, the consensus of opinion believes you need language to think. This is true but only for the secondary center of consciousness. The primary or the original instinctive center got along for hundreds of thousands of years without it. In tradition, Adam was good at math and sciences, with commerce math the originator of written language.
Hypothetically, say you were the firs to invent written language. You practiced these skill for years, before everyone else has any need or curiosity. Your brain would shift to a new place; fixed structured memory.
This is similar to modern times and the invention of the internet. As we practice this invention it detaches people from using their sensory systems, in a natural way, thereby atrophying natural skills. A new social person appears.
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To symbolically extrapolate on the Creationist parallel to the invention of written language; one set of claims in Creationism is that Adam was made from the dust of the earth in the image of God. The dust of the earth is symbolic and attempts to express an analogy.
The ancient people were well aware of sex and reproduction; herding and breeding. The claim of Adam's formation from dust implies he was not a product by normal biological process, based on sex and DNA. Rather his rebirth was different. It was based on a type of repression, not hard wired into the DNA, nor transmitted by sex.
The dust of the earth is a boundless measure; like neurons. Earth is symbolic of instinct; repression of instinct. In the image of God, is about spirit and not about matter and cells and DNA. The entire symbolism is connected to an information or neural based transformation, instead of a physical one. The human imagination is not bound to the parameters of physical reality, but is limitless like the dust of the earth; neural connections.
Adam is lonely in the garden, and Eve is made from Adam's ribs to be his helpmate. The invention of writing and the transformation of the personality that would result, relative to instinctive man, would isolate you, especially if you were the first and only person. You would become changed and would be out of phase with everyone, who is still connected to instinct; paradise.
Our ribs protect the heart/lungs The symbolism of Eve made from Adam's rib, is symbolic of empathy from Eve, who instinctively protects Adam's heart, in his fragile state via her love and maternal instincts. Being so close to Adam; protects his heart with positive reinforcement and love, she learns from Adam and she becomes symbolically transformed in spirit; apprenticeship of the mind.
The initial return to paradise for the young couple, seems to indicate that Eve helps Adam's overcome his repression, restoring his instincts. However, at the same time, Adam continues his work on the invention, which transforms Eve; both eventually lose instinctive paradise; self awareness.
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The tree of knowledge of good and evil, is symbolically connected to a special aspect of written language; law. Law specifies and divides behavior into what is socially acceptable and what is not acceptable; good and evil. It also specifics the rewards and consequences; reward for conformity and punishment for violation. Like a tree, law begins with a basic premise; we need clean water. It then branches out from this trunk as new conditions appear and new violations become manifest. The tax law may have begun with a single page, and is now a giant red wood tree with 70,000 pages all connected to a revenue trunk.
Natural instinct is morally neutral. Before written language, law was moldable, since it was not carved into stone. Law would be subject to misunderstanding, debate, forgetfulness and then forgotten, due to the inertia of instinct. Once the main pusher of a law, died, so might the law, in its old form. Once law was written down, and cast into stone for all to see, a repression of natural instinct would start to occur. Without written language ,the IRS tax code would never have gotten larger than a few pages of oral text due to the limits of memory. This was better for instinct while also allowing a modern system of organics rules to appear.
When memory is created, in general terms, an emotional tag is added to the sensory input, by the hypocampus. The hypocampus is a small region in the center of the brain connected to limbic system. The limbic system helps regulate emotions. The result is our oldest and strongest memories will have a strong emotional valance, due to this writing process.
Written law is unique with respect to the memory writing process, because law is binary and needs to be defined by the brain as two opposing emotions at the same time. Law tells us the good path that brings the feelings of satisfaction and peace. It also defines the bad path which brings the feelings of wrath, fear and pain. The net effect is the hypocampus divides law memories into two opposing emotional states, and stores each in different places. If law was stored as one averaging conflicting emotion, it would be hard to differentiate right and wrong; morally neutral.
As an example, try to remember your favorite gal (guy) and your least favorite gal (guy) from dating years. Next, picture if your least favorite was also your most favorite. This paradox; was the best of times and worse of times, plays with the mind, differently. Your mind would be trying to average the good with the bad; back to neutral. Before written language this was the end game for law; by the mind; neutral, due to neutral instinct. After written language, distinctions became clear and lasting, which was not natural.
The symbolism of the tree of knowledge, contains the serpent, Satan. A snake is phallic symbol; male creative principle, and is also an animal that hugs the earth. Satan the snake symbolizes impulses of instinct; male is the dynamic principle. The conscious mind can only focus on one of the two aspects of law, at a time. Using the gal or guy example, say that person was both the best and the worse, we will remember the best times or the worse of times. It is not normal to superimpose the best and worse and remember the person that conflicting way. For example, she had the nicest smile, as she hit you on the head with an ashtray. If you remembered that way it would not be good for survival or good for enjoying beauty since each will extreme will be cancelled. The brain will separate this into two separate things to help keep each distinct.
Since law is divided into two memory locations and the conscious mind will try to think of one at a time, to maintain differentiation; left brain, the unconscious mind will take over the other side of law memory. Satan symbolizes the counter point of the unconscious mind, when mixed feelings become divided into two separated memory stacks. The result is the dark side of law, can take on a type of autonomy; Satan, as we consciously try to do good. Prohibition will create temptation due to the instinctive consolidation of the dark side of law.
In terms of a summary, a person learns the law, the brain divides this memory into two emotional places. The conscious mind will fixate on the good path to help maintain the needed distinctions for good social behavior. The bad side of the law is still part of the memory, but is now unconscious since we avoid evil. It also acts; one law, via repressed instinctive impulse. The temptation in an attempt to resolve the lack of neutrality. Written language was very useful for evolving modern consciousness; differentiate the universe.
Adam and Eve, were trying to do good, but the repression of instinct and the unconscious autonomy of the dark side of law; part of one law, caused their dark side to act; temptation, in an attempt to restored instinctive neutrality, But writing made this impossible. Paradise is lost and a wall appears connected to law.
Tree of life is different. Life is morally neutral. It acts based on the laws of science, which are not dividing into good and evil, but rather divided based on cause and affect. The electron is not evil and the proton is not good. Both are part of the same atom which allows chemistry to appear. Merging cause with affect, does not change the emotions with respecting to keeping each separate. Moral and civil law created a wall with objectivity. If Adam and Eve had also eating of the tree of tree, moral law would have been created that was very objective and scientific, which would made it last forever; bad for natural instinct. Instead the wall appears until law evolves to objectivity, while also allowing natural instinct. Even today law is not quite there, so paradise; natural instinct, is closed or out of phase.
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Adam and Eve had two sons, Abel and Cain. This symbolism gives further insight into the dawn of modern human consciousness as it is transmitted to the next generation. Abel was a herder of animals and Cain was the tiller of the soil. Cain becomes jealous of Abel and kills him. When Cain kills Abel, this symbolism is about farming superseding herding; civilization begins. There are other subtle insights.
In terms of math and written language skills, these were far more intensive in farming, compared to herding. Herding was around even before written language. Farming was a new invention and was more complicated, requiring more math and procedural interaction. Math was needed for spacing crops, buying seeds, collecting products from each plant, the amount of water needed per row, manpower for harvesting, the timing of planting, processing materials to make flour, calculate loss, set price, give to the Gods, etc.,
The net affect was Cain, was far more involved with written language, than Abel, because of farming. Cain had become more repressed and impulsive, due to the dual memory storage of business and social law; sales and deeds. His jealousy was a calculation of value, with his impulse to act, a way to even the score; neutralize the divide. This impulse was from the repressed dark side of law.
Abel who was favored by God, was far less repressed, since he followed the age old traditions of the pre-humans, which could be accomplished with only spoken language. The symbolism of Cain and Abel suggests that the change in consciousness, that had occurred in Adam and Eve, was not transmitted biologically, to Cain or Abel. Rather it was a product of learning, free will and choice. Cain was born natural.
This is consistent with the warning to Adam and Eve, if you eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil; learn the written law, you shall die; you will lose your instincts. Cain, by the necessity of his occupation, needed to eat of the tree of knowledge. Cain loses his instinctive connection. One can see a similar affect, even in modern times, where different siblings have different political views of civil right and wrong. They may become distant and can lose their instincts for each other, as family. Abel's brain was not consciously wired for jealousy, which is why he had favor with God.
Cain's crime is discovered by God and Cain is sent away. When Cain gets his punishment, he becomes afraid and complains to God, whomever shall come upon him, shall kill him. So God gives him a sign for protection.
The question becomes, who are these whomever, if Adam and Eve are the first two humans and Cain is now the only son? Cain's fear suggests that there are other humans out there, whom he fears will get even with him for killing Abel; the other herders.
These others, were the pre-humans, evolving slowly by DNA as science suggests. They had not yet eaten of the written language of law. They were still natural and a continuation of the old ways of instinctive humans. The story of Adam and Eve is not about the biological evolution of humans. The beginning of Adam and Eve, is anything by normal biology. It was about the evolution of new type of man, who will stemmed from natural man. The change was based on learning, which would alter the mind and brain, so free will appears.
God gives Cain a sign for protection. Cain's fear was actually a projection. Cain was aware of right and wrong, due his knowledge of the written law. He felt self conscious of his actions due to his guilt. Guilt is taught by the law. Natural man; whom he felt would kill him, were still morally neutral, since they had yet to learn written law. They lived in harmony with nature in the outskirts, outside the settlement.
The sign given by God, was more to make Cain feel comfortable, so he would stop projecting his guilt to those, who do not judge right and wrong. Brothers fight and accidents happen. In tradition, Cain marries and he has children. His prodigy would play key roles helping to form some of the adjacent civilizations; This symbolism suggests that Cain taught his prehuman children, the new invention, in a more practical way. Cain learned his lesson.
Adam and Eve, then have a third son, Seth. Seth symbolized a better balance being struck between the needs of natural instinct and the needs of the modern human required for civilization. Cain and Abel were polarized; all or nothing. The polarization of Cain and Abel, suggests that Abel was much closer to Eve, and Cain much closer to Adam. Eve was stressing natural instinct for her son, Abel, in response to her own guilt for willpower and choice. Cain learns from Adam, the ways of math, science and written invention. However, Cain is not close enough to God, to be on guard of the pitfalls. He is young and has to learn the hard way. After losing their two children, Seth becomes the son that both Adam and Eve will love, with Seth taught to strike a balance. The symbolism shows humans learning from mistakes how find the sweet spot between willpower and instinct; secular and religion.
Sacrifices to the gods were a way to humble the ego and cut it down to size. The ego has plans and fears, so having to throw value away into the fire, messes with the ego. The ego see its things as an extension of itself. However, this is the way back to instinct. Instinct does not such plans or fears, but has trust in in nature to provide as it has done for eons of time. The rest of Genesis is about the pendulum swinging too far to willower and repression, where unnatural choices are made, compelled by Satan; subroutine stemming from collective laws.
In modern times, the left likes to male laws. In the US the left adds written law at a very high rate. If law causes the polarization of memory, instinctive repression, and unconscious compulsion from the dark side, one would expect the left to be more impulsive and more unnatural. Turning boys into girls is not natural. This is based on law and willpower and will not happen naturally. Humans should be reducing law to reduce the repression and compulsion, aiming for a smaller set of objective laws.
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Other creation myths are available.
The ones that were around at the dawn of writing have presumably been lost to history.
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Turning boys into girls is not natural.
Sex change is rare but far from unknown in other species - the common eel being the most familiar (and delicious). Sexual variability is common among insects (the honey bee being a good example: nearly all the eggs are identical but only a chosen few become queens). Transgenderism is known in several bird species, with some males sharing the female role in a menage a trois.
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Turning boys into girls is not natural.
Sex change is rare but far from unknown in other species - the common eel being the most familiar (and delicious). Sexual variability is common among insects (the honey bee being a good example: nearly all the eggs are identical but only a chosen few become queens). Transgenderism is known in several bird species, with some males sharing the female role in a menage a trois.
Sex change in humans is only possible because of breakthroughs in science and medicine. If you remove these cultural addendum, so things are back to natural, sex change will not happen, naturally, to humans. Sex change is part of modern mythology. This is more of a projection of the collective unconscious which has transgender firmware within both sexes. The physical manifestation is an example of will power and choice, which has a connection to the sub-routine, connected to law. It is not connected to natural cause and affect, since it need technology, which is not natural to the earth.
Humans are able to fly across the country. Do we call flight from US to Canada, natural, because we can show that millions of geese do this? The geese do this naturally, while humans need man made tech to make it possible. This is not the same thing, even if modern mythology says so. Billions of fish live under the water for years. Humans can do this, if we invest in the technology for underwater living. But again, without the tech, it is not possible for humans. Just because other animals can do this does not mean artificial becomes natural.
The subroutine problem; symbolically called Satan, with respect to willpower, choice and unnatural instinct, is addressed in the second half of Genesis. The modified behavior seems valid and natural to certain individuals, because of the unconscious compulsion induced by the "Satan", sub-routine. This compulsion "feels" instinctive and natural, because the subroutine has an underlying connection to neutral/natural instinct; symbolized by the snake. However, the instinct impulse is filtered and modified through a manmade polarization and prism, induced by written law, before it reaches ego consciousness. Satan; subroutine, is symbolically an intermediary between man and God. Satan was called the Lord of the Earth due to his instinctive connection.
The tree of knowledge of good and evil or law, defines a type of memory that contains mixed emotions. There is the preferred and punishable paths. For example, if you blended the emotions of fear with peace; mixed feelings, one would be conflicted, unable to differentiate, peace from fear, since all things feel like both. The bed would be place of rest, but also very fearful since both feelings are manifest.
The brain will attempt to remove the polarization, by splitting the mixed feeling based memory into two locations. Now can see rest or fear but not both amy the same time or else mixed feeling will appear. Most people will prefer to feel safe and peaceful, so become less conscious of fear side. Instinct is morally neutral and would like remove the location polarization, but using mixed feelings. This is too energy intensive. The other way is through compulsion from the less conscious dark side, to help restore balance. Satan, in tradition, is a creative principle, which is why the criminals are always one step ahead of the law. This is part of social equilibration.
Other creation myths are available.
The ones that were around at the dawn of writing have presumably been lost to history.
The lost traditions and the traditions that are remained for millennia, are based on which speaks best to instinct. The ones that last, can reach the psyche at a deep level, and will therefore be transmitted generation to generation. Instincts are conservative and have not change since the dawn of civilization. This is proof of that. They have only become repressed or rather hidden under the subroutine. The goal is religion is to make the subroutine conscious so we can return to instinct; God's creation.
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The original topic was, what was the first form of written language. I answered the question using a research summary and then proceeded to show the impact of written language on the human psyche, beginning in the early days of written language. What I would like to do now is fast forward, to the present, and look at the accumulative impact after 6000 years, and project this to the future.
The polarization, due to written law of good and evil, was very useful for helping the human brain differentiate reality. Written law sets memories in stone. The repression of the dark side of law; was socially acceptable to repress the fear tag created by the hypocampus, creates a dark unconscious background, from which subtle light; positive awareness, could be seen. A lighted match, in the noon sun, is not as obvious as a lighted match at midnight. As such, the darker people became, unconsciously compulsive, due to the polarization caused by the law, the more subtle the mind got; match at midnight. With natural instinct, since it is morally neutral, the contrast is never that great.
Any new law, such as a prohibition, will create a polarization and add potential to the subroutine. We wish to do good to avoid fear and pain. However, "sin taking opportunity through the commandment produces sin of all kind." In other words, the polarization and repression of the dark side, implicit of the dark side of law, in the light of the neutrality of natural instinct, potentiates the dark side subroutine, in an attempt to neutralize the conscious polarization. The result is a creative principle; Satan, by which the polarization of law can be neutralized. Criminals stay one step ahead of the law, due to the way the brain and instinct is set up.
The solution is not to add even more laws of good and evil, since this will add potential to the polarization, and add more more fuel to the creative compulsions of the subroutine. The reason is the Satan subroutine is a composite of all the dark sides of social laws. As such, the impulsive and creative violation can show up in lateral ways, that may not appear connected to the new laws at hand. For example, the drug overdose epidemic is a compulsion from the dark side and has lateral connections beyond drug taboos. Or the snowflakes, who are afraid of their own shadow, have a lot of subroutine potential, due to the new lawyers of language taboos, created by the left. This is expected.
The future has to do with addressing the subroutine, while not regressing backwards, in terms of what has been gained? A subtle light is easy to see in the dark. However, once that light is seen, you should still be able to recall it, even during the bright light of the next day. If you lack long term memory, then you may feel the need to maintain the darkness, else the subtle light cannot be seen, anew. This is where writing still comes in handy.
The bible discusses the change, at the very end. It speaks of an operating system update for human consciousness, where the Satan subroutine is disrupted. There is an uninstalling of the old operating system, before a clean install of the update. This is the subject of Revelations.
In other words, picture a computer virus, that has branched out throughout the operating system. Knowledge of good and evil or law, impacts all our natural personality firmware. There are taboos for eating, sex, speaking, self defense, hunting and gathering. There is a natural version of this firmware in the brain, based on genetics. But there is also the Satan subroutine, reinforced each generation by culture, that has its tentacles in all these firmware, based on the unconscious polarization, due to centuries of law.
As an analogy, say you has a simple virus that changes all periods, in the code, to commas. It goes throughout the operating system making this simple and subtle change. The final impact is system wide. It may not easy to extract this virus and its impact, since may be hard to know if a comma was already there. It may be better to uninstall the operating system and then reinstall a fresh operating system, from the cloud, while trying to maintain the personal settings, during the fresh install.
In Revelations, the Satan subroutine eventually gains ascendancy via the symbolism of the Anti-Christ. What he does make changes to laws and times. He induces an inversion of the law, where the dark side is made conscious and subject to choice, by the law; hearts grow cold.
This inversion does not end the repression due to law, but rather causes the light side of law to become repressed. The creative compulsion, induced by neutral instinct, now becomes connected to the good side of law; faith of the Saints. The new unconscious subroutine is now called the son of man.
The old law compulsions to do good, become against the law. The new law is geared at the conscious mind acting out the Satan Subroutine. This is not good for culture; very destructive, but it is evolutionary for the personality firmware since it changes the intermediary subroutine to something that is a positive advancement. It is not uncommon in history for an evil period of culture, to usher in a period of creative positive energies; Constitution.
In case of Revelations, all the Saints are eventually killed. This symbolizes the new subroutine of the son of man is fleeting and does not last. This has to do with the conscious choice of the dark side, helping to balance the brain, until the age old potential is gone. Then there is an uninstall; wrath of God.
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The subroutine problem; symbolically called Satan, with respect to willpower, choice and unnatural instinct, is addressed in the second half of Genesis.
Meanwhile, in science...
Seriously, if you have actual evidence for this, post it.
Otherwise stop wasting bandwidth on bronze age goat herder's myths.
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It's been a while since I saw the film, but there was some speculation that markings beside rock paintings in Chauvet Cave may have indicated the painter or the hunter.
If correct, that would put it around 30,000 years ago...
See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chauvet_Cave
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_of_Forgotten_Dreams
Works of art; cave drawing, are sort of like writing, but there are differences. If I was to paint a picture of hunters in the field, I may not be doing this to record the event. The artist may be doing this to convey the mood or emotions of a pastoral scene. People are not looking to buy a photo. They wish something that shows artistic talent.
As an artist, I can take liberties and even place extra critters with exaggerated legs to show how fast they run. This is not supposed to be a photo, but the goal is to move the audience. Like art, there may not be one way to interpret this work of art. Art is not a useful form of written language, due to the subjective elements in art. Art has a different purpose more geared to the unconscious mind; reaction.
Art, unlike writing, is not group procedural. Art is spontaneous and creative, and may not be easy to reproduce, even by the artist. There is only one Mona Lisa. Art is not a repeatable and easy to do form of writing. I would be hard to implement, by everyone, to the needs of day to day civilization. That will come later.
Evidence suggest the first forms of writing were connected to commerce; labels, price tags, contracts and records. This invention was more that likely based on necessity. Without written language, one has to depend on spoken promises, memory, and salesmen who remember things differently, than they promised with spoken words. The used car salesmen will say all types of thing he will not put into writing.
For example, you are promised $1/pot of grain at planting time. After the harvest your buyer, can't remember saying that. He thought it said $0.50/pot of grain. You would have grown corn if that had been the agreed price. There is an argument. Culture needed a way to settle this, up front. The solution was basic writing used for records and signatures. You make a contract and both have copies. This also had to be simple and have a more user friendly interface, compared to the skills of an artist; simple symbols.
If we extrapolate from writing for commerce other disagreements in culture had to be settled, which had little to do with trade; dates, genealogy, land holdings, gossip, etc. To be proactive, and meet the needs of all possible conflicts of the future, the invention needed to mimic all the promises of spoken language, which resulted in language sounds expressed as a system of written symbols.
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It's been a while since I saw the film, but there was some speculation that markings beside rock paintings in Chauvet Cave may have indicated the painter or the hunter.
If correct, that would put it around 30,000 years ago...
See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chauvet_Cave
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_of_Forgotten_Dreams
Works of art; cave drawing, are sort of like writing, but there are differences. If I was to paint a picture of hunters in the field, I may not be doing this to record the event. The artist may be doing this to convey the mood or emotions of a pastoral scene. People are not looking to buy a photo. They wish something that shows artistic talent.
As an artist, I can take liberties and even place extra critters with exaggerated legs to show how fast they run. This is not supposed to be a photo, but the goal is to move the audience. Like art, there may not be one way to interpret this work of art. Art is not a useful form of written language, due to the subjective elements in art. Art has a different purpose more geared to the unconscious mind; reaction.
Art, unlike writing, is not group procedural. Art is spontaneous and creative, and may not be easy to reproduce, even by the artist. There is only one Mona Lisa. Art is not a repeatable and easy to do form of writing. I would be hard to implement, by everyone, to the needs of day to day civilization. That will come later.
Evidence suggest the first forms of writing were connected to commerce; labels, price tags, contracts and records. This invention was more that likely based on necessity. Without written language, one has to depend on spoken promises, memory, and salesmen who remember things differently, than they promised with spoken words. The used car salesmen will say all types of thing he will not put into writing.
For example, you are promised $1/pot of grain at planting time. After the harvest your buyer, can't remember saying that. He thought it said $0.50/pot of grain. You would have grown corn if that had been the agreed price. There is an argument. Culture needed a way to settle this, up front. The solution was basic writing used for records and signatures. You make a contract and both have copies. This also had to be simple and have a more user friendly interface, compared to the skills of an artist; simple symbols.
If we extrapolate from writing for commerce other disagreements in culture had to be settled, which had little to do with trade; dates, genealogy, land holdings, gossip, etc. To be proactive, and meet the needs of all possible conflicts of the future, the invention needed to mimic all the promises of spoken language, which resulted in language sounds expressed as a system of written symbols.
Did you read the post you commented on?
"markings beside rock paintings in Chauvet Cave may have indicated the painter "
That's a "written" name or signature.
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It's been a while since I saw the film, but there was some speculation that markings beside rock paintings in Chauvet Cave may have indicated the painter or the hunter.
If correct, that would put it around 30,000 years ago...
See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chauvet_Cave
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_of_Forgotten_Dreams
Works of art; cave drawing, are sort of like writing, but there are differences. If I was to paint a picture of hunters in the field, I may not be doing this to record the event. The artist may be doing this to convey the mood or emotions of a pastoral scene. People are not looking to buy a photo. They wish something that shows artistic talent.
As an artist, I can take liberties and even place extra critters with exaggerated legs to show how fast they run. This is not supposed to be a photo, but the goal is to move the audience. Like art, there may not be one way to interpret this work of art. Art is not a useful form of written language, due to the subjective elements in art. Art has a different purpose more geared to the unconscious mind; reaction.
Art, unlike writing, is not group procedural. Art is spontaneous and creative, and may not be easy to reproduce, even by the artist. There is only one Mona Lisa. Art is not a repeatable and easy to do form of writing. I would be hard to implement, by everyone, to the needs of day to day civilization. That will come later.
Evidence suggest the first forms of writing were connected to commerce; labels, price tags, contracts and records. This invention was more that likely based on necessity. Without written language, one has to depend on spoken promises, memory, and salesmen who remember things differently, than they promised with spoken words. The used car salesmen will say all types of thing he will not put into writing.
For example, you are promised $1/pot of grain at planting time. After the harvest your buyer, can't remember saying that. He thought it said $0.50/pot of grain. You would have grown corn if that had been the agreed price. There is an argument. Culture needed a way to settle this, up front. The solution was basic writing used for records and signatures. You make a contract and both have copies. This also had to be simple and have a more user friendly interface, compared to the skills of an artist; simple symbols.
If we extrapolate from writing for commerce other disagreements in culture had to be settled, which had little to do with trade; dates, genealogy, land holdings, gossip, etc. To be proactive, and meet the needs of all possible conflicts of the future, the invention needed to mimic all the promises of spoken language, which resulted in language sounds expressed as a system of written symbols.
Did you read the post you commented on?
"markings beside rock paintings in Chauvet Cave may have indicated the painter "
That's a "written" name or signature.
The signature could have also been graffiti by someone years later; future artist. The concern I have for the signature assumption is connected to prehuman psychology. A person signing their name to a possession, implies a sense of self awareness. The dating of 30,000 years ago appears to be too early for that. Civilization would have formed much sooner if people were already self aware 30,000 year ago. Self awareness was due to the lingering memories induced by written language.
Cave drawings, 30,000 year ago, would have been a spontaneous expression of an artist; trance. The artist is moved by a creative urge from the unconscious mind. If he was self aware, he would not confuse this creative urge with willpower. The best art is one of kind and not a mass produced item due to will power. The ancients would attributed this unique expression to the workings of the gods. A signature, if attached to the drawing, would be to the patron or matron god who would run the creative process.
The stereotypical suffering of the artist is connected to the artist creating unconscious potential. The suffering creates an uncomfortable position for the conscious mind and ego; lacks willpower and choice. The goal is to get the unconscious mind potentiated and them hope it will help remove the potential, through an artistic expression. This is same dynamics created by a ritual of dance and prayer festival to the gods.The expression continues for days until the potential is released through a targeted creative expression. The cave artist would not except credit for something he did not do. This is too modern and too ego centric for 30,000 years ago. Even scientists play revisionist history if they are not aware of how the brain works and how consciousness needed to evolve in step wise fashion.
Animals have one center of consciousness; unconscious and instinctive, whereas modern human have two centers of consciousness; conscious and unconscious; willpower and instinct. To get things going we need a way to dam the primary center, so it makes neural energy available to support a secondary. This is done by repressing instinct. This has to start somewhere. Once the conscious mind has the energy needed to be viable, since the ego is detached from natural instinct, the repression process escalates, and the conscious mind gains in potential energy.
Cave drawings may have been part of the jump start, stemming from the unconscious mind. The cave drawing is something that is not normally found in nature. Yet is not fleeting but will persist and have an art type impact on the primitive psyche; subjective inducement.
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A person signing their name to a possession, implies a sense of self awareness. The dating of 30,000 years ago appears to be too early for that. Civilization would have formed much sooner if people were already self aware 30,000 year ago. Self awareness was due to the lingering memories induced by written language.
Did you expect that to be taken seriously?
"A person signing their name to a possession, implies a sense of self awareness. "
OK, that requires that self awareness came first
And
" Self awareness was due to the lingering memories induced by written language." implies that writing came first.
Congratulations on having thoughts that can contradict themselves inside 1 paragraph.
The rest of your post isn't much better.
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Sumers were the first who invented writing