Language - the new weapon

Language is something we take for granted today. I write, hopefully you read. We neglect to consider how.

How did we get to this point of instant communication and comprehension?

The earliest known expression of language is over 3 millions years old. Australopithecus, our ancestors used stones to represent icons. These stones had unique markings, clarifying that they weren’t just some stones.

Over time, this developed to markings in caves, drawings, pictures, grunts and then slowly spoken language emerged.

The motivation was obvious. A stone could represent a weapon or a tool, while the arrangement of sticks or markings in the dirt could symbolize a pathway or boundary. It was all about self-preservation.

Slowly, perhaps as our brains developed, we developed abstract thought. A stone could now be a weapon, an object of beauty, an expression of love or even a contract to pay.

Semantic language, which captures concepts that are abstract, evolved. Money for example.

Language came to be the tool to interpret our reality. Slowly, our senses converged to convert what they felt, saw or touched into language.

But without realizing, language is turning into a weapon.

Last week a famous technology brand launched a new AI tool. The tool can reply to your email and rewrite text messages. It can convert text messages from formal to informal.

History has shown that human beings quickly abandon any ability when an easier option is available.

There can be two paths forward.

We go back to relying on our senses without converting it into language or we lose our ability to think in language.

Both have repercussions which we may not fully understand.

There are examples that we can refer to. We went from walking several miles to survive to walking being “exercise.”

We could go from speaking to express ourselves to language being exercise.

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