The role of language, intentionality and free will in the human evolution

Abstract

The evolution of the human species can be divided into two parts: (a) in the first part the biological structures (cells and organs) are totally dependent on the information developed by the DNA-gene system, and (b) in the second part the development of the human organisms becomes dependent mainly on the new, additional, properties developed by the human mind-brain system. The second part properties, unique of the human species are, therefore, mostly the result of the mind-brain activities which generate a multiplicity of new functions. The second class properties of the living organisms can, therefore, be divided into two types of processes: (a) the first concerns the general effects on the physical properties of the living bodies and (b) the second concerns the general human evolution characterized by the new properties generated by language, intentionality and free will. In the present work, my investigation aims: (a) to analyze mainly those evolutionary process of the human species which are completely different from those non-human and, (b) in contrast with the non-human processes, are dependent strictly on language, intentionality and free will. The properties of language, intentionality and free will lead, therefore, to several new human processes: (a) the language, which is responsible for the inter-human communication, (b) the intentionality, which is responsible for the inter-human intentions and the consequent development of the voluntary behaviours and (c) the free will, which is responsible for the selective operations which determine all the voluntary behaviours.