Why do intellectually superior humans have around 7,000 distinct languages?

[RDKirk]

All animals have some language skills. Man's are very advanced and symbolic.

"Language" is defined as being symbolic. If it's not a symbolic representation, it's not a language.

An animal growls. A human says "I am angry."

 

[dad]

 

[dad]

Prove it.

Not sure we are allowed to question people's religion here.

 

[dad]

I can't prove a negative claim. Prove that there was one, without simply quoting the Bible.

Bible claims are negative?

 

[dad]

Fundamentalist religion 101

You believe there was no tower? I think we all need to try and respect your uninformed beliefs here.

 

[dad]

I think that the only source for the tower of Babel comes from the Bible, then yeah, I'd say my claim that it didn't exist is pretty spot on. So, how am I not paying attention if I'm asking for non-Biblical sources?

So all things in the bible do not exist is your religion's idea of spot on. Ok.

 

[dad]

Because there's no evidence of the tower having existed. And saying it's buried because of tectonic activity 'around the time of the tower' is a pretty bland copout answer.

What if geology showed there was a lot of uplift in the area?

 

[Warden_of_the_Storm]

What if geology showed there was a lot of uplift in the area?

Does it also show a tower buried underground because of violent uplift?

 

[usexpat97]

I'm seeing archaeological evidence of at least 30 ziggurats in southern Mesopotamia. At least one was at least 16 stories high. Archaeologists generally believe the Tower of Babel was a ziggurat, because they--unlike those on this forum--do not automatically dismiss the Bible as a non-source in summary fashion.

 

[RDKirk]

I'm seeing archaeological evidence of at least 30 ziggurats in southern Mesopotamia. At least one was at least 16 stories high. Archaeologists generally believe the Tower of Babel was a ziggurat, because they--unlike those on this forum--do not automatically dismiss the Bible as a non-source in summary fashion.

One of those is the ziggurat at Ur, which was in existence during Abram's time there.

I'm familiar with that one because I liked to keep an eye on it during the Persian Gulf war (it's very near the military airfield at Tallil). Because I watched it, I was the first person to see that Hussien's air force was attempting to hide aircraft away from the airfields--I was the first to see two fighters moved in front of the ziggurat, where the Iraqis felt they wouldn't be bombed.

In my time at the Pentagon, I had two items make it to the Situation Room, and this was one of them:

Lord knows I loved that job.

 

[dad]

Does it also show a tower buried underground because of violent uplift?

Let us all try to accept the limits of what science does and can do. As much as you may love your religion, it must remain what it is.

 

[dad]

I'm seeing archaeological evidence of at least 30 ziggurats in southern Mesopotamia. At least one was at least 16 stories high. Archaeologists generally believe the Tower of Babel was a ziggurat, because they--unlike those on this forum--do not automatically dismiss the Bible as a non-source in summary fashion.

The zigs we now see could be small imitations or after the fact works in the same area. The actual tower of Babel was meant to reach space, or heaven. I do suspect it is not on the surface of the earth at this time.

 

[usexpat97]

The zigs we now see could be small imitations or after the fact works in the same area. The actual tower of Babel was meant to reach space, or heaven.

But let's be real: even the real Tower of Babel stood zero chance of ever reaching space, or heaven.

 

[Warden_of_the_Storm]

Let us all try to accept the limits of what science does and can do. As much as you may love your religion, it must remain what it is.

Says you. So... got any evidence of the Tower of Babel existing? Yes or no?

 

[Warden_of_the_Storm]

I'm seeing archaeological evidence of at least 30 ziggurats in southern Mesopotamia. At least one was at least 16 stories high. Archaeologists generally believe the Tower of Babel was a ziggurat, because they--unlike those on this forum--do not automatically dismiss the Bible as a non-source in summary fashion.

I'm not dismissing that something that inspired the tower of Babel existed. What I am dismissing is the claim that there was a tower that could reach heaven, along with all the peoples in the world speaking one single language at one point in time.

 

[usexpat97]

I'm not dismissing that something that inspired the tower of Babel existed. What I am dismissing is the claim that there was a tower that could reach heaven, along with all the peoples in the world speaking one single language at one point in time.

Then I think you misunderstand the Bible that you are discrediting. The Bible never says the tower actually completed. God struck it down while it was still being built. For all we know, they might never have completed the second story. Frankly, the whole thing was an act of folly from the start, on multiple levels (like that pun I did there?).

As for the world speaking one single language, common sense says there was. Start with two human beings. How many languages do you think they spoke?

 

[VirOptimus]

The ignorance in this thread is astounding.

We know how languages formed and their history. Invoking magic to explain it is just plain stupid.

 

[Warden_of_the_Storm]

Then I think you misunderstand the Bible that you are discrediting. The Bible never says the tower actually completed. God struck it down while it was still being built. For all we know, they might never have completed the second story. Frankly, the whole thing was an act of folly from the start, on multiple levels (like that pun I did there?).

I'll give you a polite golf-clap for the pun, but I don't take the story of the Tower of Babel as anything more than allegory of ignorant people who didn't know better.

As for the world speaking one single language, common sense says there was. Start with two human beings. How many languages do you think they spoke?

Hard to imagine since the human population never went down to just two people. Ever. God's own record of history shows that never happened.

 

[usexpat97]

Hard to imagine since the human population never went down to just two people. Ever. God's own record of history shows that never happened.

What does God's own record of history say, then? That a giant primordial chicken laid 1000 eggs, and out hatched the first 1000 human beings all at once, each speaking their own language?

 

[Warden_of_the_Storm]

What does God's own record of history say, then? That a giant primordial chicken laid 1000 eggs, and out hatched the first 1000 human beings all at once, each speaking their own language?

Okay, first off: if you reply to something I say, can you please include my username in the reply? It's the polite thing to do.

And since you're engaging in an intellectual fallacy, the reductio ad absurdum (reduction to absurdity), I think that engaging with you further is not in my best interests.