Evolution of the symbolic thinking

[admiral_ju00]

There are some interesting debates about the early members of our species, that I'd like to share and have a debate here.

Is visual thinking mean the same thing as symbolic thinking?

Can a picture drawn of some object be though of as symbolic - therefore requiring a more complicated though pattern or is it merely an icon?

Some of the earliest, most detailed artwork found was the one by the Cro-Magnons. That is highly suggestive that the Cro-Manon(humans) who lived from about 40,000-10,000, was the first early members of the genus Homo that was able to process all 3 of the components that clearly separate us from all other animals on this planet. Those being and ability to use and process: Icon, Index, Symbol.
But were they the first of all the members of the genus Homo to be capable of abstract thinking?

For example, it IS the most common misconception about the Neanderthals in that they were nothing more than dumb brutes, hence the selection dealt against them, where as Cro-Magnons continued.

What do you think?

[Aardvark]

I don't think anyone seriously still holds the view of neanderthals as ignorant brutes anymore. We know they also used art and symbolism, displayed understanding of death and possibly had religious/supersistious ideas.

Our cousins, the neanderthals are entitled to a good measure of respect.

For early Cro Magnons, i think the general understanding is that much of the artwork did have symbolic meaning as well as direct visual meaning. The simularities with the art of present day and recent hunter gather people such as Kalahari bushmen and Australian Aboriginals where we know that much of the meaning is abstract makes this seem likely and helps us understand the mind of our ancestors a little more.

[Dov]

Organism, do you think that the "ability to use and process: Icon, Index, Symbol" was feasible/possible before development of language hence terms? Seems to me that "symbolic thinking" is a follow-up of language development. Try "thinking" without words. You can do wordless melody "singing", you can do wordless portraying of objects/animals, but - I think - you can't do wordless thinking...and I think in this case it was the words (terms) formed in our brainy system that enabled and led to practical and abstract thinking and to the accelerated expansion of human's "intellect".