# Is it Possible to Think without Language?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-think-without-language/602189>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 7, 2011, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-think-without-language/602189 "2011-11-07T18:49:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Cartoonacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/848f3c/32.png) [@Cartoonacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartoonacy)\
**Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-think-without-language/602189/41 "2011-11-09T16:12:16Z")

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[This six-year-old thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=310467) may be of interest.

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**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\
**Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-think-without-language/602189/42 "2011-11-09T17:56:10Z")

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Once my dog discovered a dead bird outside and successfully “hunted” it, carrying it around in his mouth. I was not about to let him in the house with a dead, bloody bird so I kept him outside…knowing he would not allow me to take away his prize.

After half an hour, I came out with his favorite treat…a slice of bologna…and let him think about it.

AND MY DOG THOUGHT ABOUT IT!

He looked at the baloney, then back at the bird in his mouth, back and forth for about ten seconds.

He concluded the baloney was better and dropped the bird.

You don’t think there were words in his doggy head, do you?

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**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\
**Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-think-without-language/602189/43 "2011-11-09T18:20:01Z")

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So, how’s that homework assignment coming along?

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**Author:** ![kimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f0a364/32.png) [@kimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kimera)\
**Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-think-without-language/602189/44 "2011-11-09T18:24:39Z")

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Non-human animals think and many of them have no form of language. An octopus, for example, is capable of recognizing faces, plotting revenge, solving puzzles, escaping traps, among other things.

Similarly, capuchins may or may not have language depending on how you define it. They do understand theory of mind and occasionally engage in deception. I don’t see how you could explain how they do that if you don’t believe that they can think.

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**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\
**Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-think-without-language/602189/45 "2011-11-09T18:27:38Z")

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We have feelings and sensations and can recognize patterns without having language. _Were this not so, infants could not acquire language_. They don’t come with English or Urdu preinstalled!

It’s cognitive; I would not regard it as non-thinking; but you can’t create complex structures in your head without the aid of language. It’s not just a tool for communication with others; it’s a tool for communication with one’s self.

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