The Evolution of Thought

Abstract

We investigate the evolution of thought using the method of historical reconstruction, the theory of the cultural and historical determinism of psychological development, data on the relationship between morphological studies, modern findings about child development, and the scientific understanding of neural morphogenesis. We argue for classifying protothinking as a separate category to describe a stage when the person thinks objectively without being aware of this process. It is shown that protothinking is a transitional stage between animal thinking and human verbal thinking. We devote particular attention to the process whereby words and verbally expressed thoughts originated. We formulate the conditions that make it possible to trace the process of how speech came into being as sound combinations that are designed to express thought. It is emphasized that individuals are always responsible for discovering words for themselves. We discuss the origins of language, and we note the creative nature of this process.