Xref: utzoo sci.lang:1999 comp.ai:1446
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!mcvax!unido!tub!tmpmbx!netmbx!morus
From: morus@netmbx.UUCP (Thomas M.)
Newsgroups: sci.lang,comp.ai
Subject: Re: Language-free thinking (was: language, thought, and culture)
Message-ID: <1502@netmbx.UUCP>
Date: 10 Mar 88 19:19:22 GMT
References: <44@gollum.Columbia.NCR.COM> <2894@pbhyf.UUCP> <1002@klipper.cs.vu.nl>
Reply-To: morus@netmbx.UUCP (Thomas Muhr)
Organization: netmbx Public Access Unix, Berlin
Lines: 31
Keywords: language, thought, and culture

In article <1002@klipper.cs.vu.nl> biep@cs.vu.nl (J. A. "Biep" Durieux) writes:
>In article <2894@pbhyf.UUCP> rob@pbhyf.UUCP (Rob Bernardo) writes:
>>In article <44@gollum.Columbia.NCR.COM> rolandi@gollum.UUCP (Walter Rolandi) writes:
>>+What sort of thinking do people typically do that does not involve language?
>
>The standard example of non-linguistic problem solving is the following
>Suppose a dog carrying a stick enters a fence of inter-spaced vertical
>poles. How does he get through the fence?
>
>Almost everybody solves this visually, even if the problem is given
>verbally. I suppose most spacial problems (moving the piano to the
>second floor..) fall in the category you ask for.

There's no need to restrict thinking to just a handful of senses.
Consider "thinking" (which seems not to be the right label any more) about
a new meal you want to create or alter. You most definitely try to "taste"
the components of the meal and try to configure alternative spices etc.
Another would be choosing a perfum for your spouse - the olfactoric sense
seems to be very important.
You might "think" including feelings of surfaces (stone, sand, grass),
temperatures, "wetness" etc. 
"Verbal thinking" seems to be only a small fraction of "real thinking" -
or what do you think? 
 
Thomas Muhr.

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