Name: How language transformed humanity
Uploaded: 2011-08-03T15:15:37Z
Duration: 19 min 53 s
Description: Biologist Mark Pagel shares an intriguing theory about why humans evolved our complex system of language. He suggests that language is a piece of "social technology" that allowed early human tribes to access a powerful new tool: cooperation.

Mark Pagel: How language transformed humanity

How language transformed humanity

Biologist Mark Pagel shares an intriguing theory about why humans evolved our complex system of language. He suggests that language is a piece of "social technology" that allowed early human tribes to access a powerful new tool: cooperation.

Language is not just a tool for communication; it is humanity’s most radical invention, enabling direct transfer of ideas and unlocking large-scale cooperation. Unlike other animals, humans learned to share and accumulate knowledge, which fueled innovations from hand axes to space shuttles. In Papua New Guinea, a new language can be found every mile, showing how language can both unite and divide. As the world grows more connected, the challenge of thousands of different languages hinders global cooperation and exchange.