Exploring the Origin of the Present-Day Human Self on the Fringes of Linguistic Advancement

The paper explores the possibility of the evolution of the present-day adult human self (PHS) with linguistic advancements. Considering fringe mentality as a genuine issue during the evolution of PHS, the paper favours that there can be various types of mentalities associated with various kinds of minds, among which present-day adult human mind (PHM) having PHS is only one kind. It explores the logical possibility of a different mentality in our remote ancestors to broaden the contours of the concept of self and mind. Part one is expository in nature and discusses the distinctive features of the present-day adult human self (PHS). Following Sleutels’s (2013) approach, the second part analyses the assumption that the PHS is an innately given inner experience by positing the ‘fringe mind’ problem. Julian Jaynes’s (1976) claim is approached with the help of the linguistic mechanism involved in the emergence of propositional attitudes (PA) to argue that PHS can also be a matter of linguistic advancement rather than mere biological or psychological adaptive advancement. An attempt to address Sleutels (2006) less developed notion of B-mind and A-mind is also made.