152 Self and the Phenomenon of Life
b2726 Self and the Phenomenon of Life: A Biologist Examines Life from Molecules to Humanity “9x6”7.6.6 Language function
Language is the pinnacle of achievement of intelligent animals. Although
other animals are capable of rudimentary language (dogs can respond
to a large vocabulary of single words, and chimpanzees can form sim-
ple sentences), only humans can formulate complex statements out of
conceptualization. Humans have the unique ability to manipulate and
organize symbols in a recursive and nested manner — one idea sits in
another, which in turn sits in yet another, ad infinitum (recursively enu-
merable).
7.7 Basic Features of a Well-developed Brain
A well-developed brain has the following characteristics: (1) It has a
hierarchical organization, wherein members of one rank are nested in,
and subordinate to, a member of the next higher rank. (2) It has a mod-
ular structure, in that each component can serve as a member of sev-
eral functional units. (3) Neuronal circuits, formed by synaptic connec-
tions, are malleable and self-adjusting. Multiple circuits are connected
into networks according to the principles of hierarchy and modularity.^21
Figure 7.16 shows the complexity of neuronal circuits and networks.
(4) Neuronal circuitry appears to show redundancy in function. In other
words, some neurons are put on reserve, ready to be called into action in
times of need. For instance, any loss of neurons has to exceed a certain
threshold for a deficit to be detectable. In Parkinson’s disease, symptoms
are not apparent until 80-90% of neurons of the substantial nigra in the
midbrain are gone. (5) The brain is capable of information processing.
It follows a certain algorithm and is capable of parallel processing and
reentrant dynamics. Except for speed, the brain is far more superior
to any computer known to man, being capable of self-programming,
self-adjustment, and self-correction. Despite its hierarchical organiza-
tion, there is no evidence that a single neuron serves as a supreme ruler
of the entire brain. For this reason, it has been compared to an orches-
tra without a conductor.^22 (6) Most importantly, unlike most electronic