"He therefore ignores the observation that circuits of our brains are devoted to processing language, while different parts deal with non-linguistic sounds and with general reasoning and problem-solving."
— Coyne, Jerry Allen (b. 1949)
Author
Date
August 31, 2016
Metaphor
"He therefore ignores the observation that circuits of our brains are devoted to processing language, while different parts deal with non-linguistic sounds and with general reasoning and problem-solving."
Metaphor in Context
Determined to reject the idea that any part of language is hard-wired, Wolfe chooses again to rely on sarcasm rather than data. He therefore ignores the observation that circuits of our brains are devoted to processing language, while different parts deal with non-linguistic sounds and with general reasoning and problem-solving. Further, the configuration of the human larynx is novel among primates: The voicebox has evolved downward, and half the tongue is lodged in the throat, giving us an exquisite ability to articulate -- particularly the vowels so important for speech. There are genes that, when mutated, cause disorders of language, speech and comprehension, and statistical analyses of our genomes show that these genes were targets of Darwinian natural selection.
Categories
Provenance
Reading
Citation
Jerry A. Coyne, "His White Suit Unsullied by Research, Tom Wolfe Tries to Take Down Charles Darwin," Washington Post (August 31, 2016). <Link to washingtonpost.com>
Date of Entry
09/01/2016
