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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Cherd, post: 8541600, member: 24754&quot;]If we are defining &quot;progress&quot; based on the natural evolution of language, then of course you are correct. I&#039;m talking about progress in the direction of eliminating language barriers.</p><p><br /></p><p>Yes, there are workarounds and stand-ins that can allow a multi-lingual, economic system to work well enough. And, given these mechanisms, it might seem as though pursuing a single pervasive language would be a matter of convenience, but it&#039;s actually more than that.</p><p><br /></p><p>During times of civil stress (whatever the stressor might be), we are biologically pre-programmed to dehumanize groups that represent obstacles to our goals. We do this consciously and subconsciously by convincing ourselves that the differentiating factors between the groups makes &quot;them&quot; inferior. Our distant ancestors were selected to have this tendency because it had survival benefits, and differences in language simply serve as a really convenient places to draw hard lines.</p><p><br /></p><p>Put more simply, it&#039;s difficult to empathize with somebody that can&#039;t verbally express themselves in a way that means anything to you. Put even more simply, it&#039;s more difficult to kill somebody that is begging for their life as opposed to spouting out a bunch of meaningless gibberish (from your perspective).</p><p><br /></p><p>In the end, the world would have a much better chance of being a better place if we all spoke the same language. I&#039;m just surprised that we haven&#039;t put a bit more effort into moving in that direction.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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