Which is better, math or language? (weapon, carry, program, state)
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I don't know what this means. What do you mean, which made the greatest contribution to the world? The existence of hundreds, thousands of languages in the world is a fact, a product of human diversity.
Well, if I had to pick only one, it would be language. Math is great, but it's hard to share your engineering genius when you have no language to effectively communicate with. Indeed, math probably wouldn't exist if there was no language.
Definitely math. People will always find a way to communicate. Unlike language which is very malleable, mathematical principles transcend the variability of language. Today we use mathematical principles that were first developed by people we would not be able to carry on a conversation with.
So which do you suppose made the greatest contribution to the world, math or language? Which is better if we had to pick only one?
The vast majority of anthropologists and Social Science professors would claim that the invention of and use of language was by far the most crucial component in enabling homo sapiens (read: you and me!) to get to where we are today.
In fact, it so thought that it was the crucial "make or break" edge that allowed us to prevail over our primate competition, like Neanderthal man, some 50,000 years ago. The reasoning here falling along the lines of: with language, communications and planning are of course enhanced, which aids in survival skills. As well as warfare tactics and strategy too.
Remember that there have been near 30 different sub-species of primate bipedal hominids since the original of australopithecus forensis (who is thought to be "first human") some 7 million years ago. And we now stand alone! Last Ape standing!
Math? Important to be sure. And for technology, indispensable. But I do not think it is indispensable for survival. And I don't think you can consider just counting things, like how may portions to divvy-up a mastadon back in our hunter-gatherer days, as really being math. Anything beyond that, sure, maybe.
And I have not even used the most obvious weapon yet for my argument as to language trumping Math when it comes to being the most crucial. And that is: without language, there could be no math! LOL. As it is crucial to be able to communicate and share ideas when practicing the scientific method, which of course math is a part of. For math to evolve, ideas (hypotheses) must be first established and then shared and either proved or discounted. I think it is safe to say this would be impossible without language.
Without higher mathematics we would not have reached the Moon.
But without language we would not even be here now talking about this!
I don't know what this means. What do you mean, which made the greatest contribution to the world? The existence of hundreds, thousands of languages in the world is a fact, a product of human diversity.
I can't relate to this question at all. Maybe you could develop it a little. This sub-forum has special TOS. Did you read those?
It's sort of a simple question and sort of a complicated question. Where would we be if we had basically no formal language but we had math skills that were out of this world? Or what would we be like if we were literary geniuses who couldn't comprehend 2 + 2? In which case would our society be more advanced?
Look at the question from that viewpoint. Really think about it. I had a friend state that he couldn't order from McDonald's if we had no language skills. To which someone else replied. "That will be a Number 1." See, it's not really a cut and dried question.
What you said is kind of like me asking, "what made the greatest contribution, language or spanish?" Math IS a language. A different type of language than you are used to but a language nonetheless.
What you said is kind of like me asking, "what made the greatest contribution, language or spanish?" Math IS a language. A different type of language than you are used to but a language nonetheless.
I'd agree somewhat but if there is no language there is no Spanish. Math could not evolve without the basic spoken word. Programming is a language:
$a = $b
$a == $b
Those have two completely different usages and meanings. If I can't covey to you their meaning you're going to be lost trying to figure it out. If I'm the only one that knows what it means then what's the point.
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