Wolfe, Tom. The Kingdom of Speech. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company, 2016.
Introduction
Language is a mystery the evolutionist struggles
with, and Tom Wolfe does a fine job of arguing for language, not evolution,
being the true reason humanity has flourished. Wolfe humorously addresses the
shortcomings of Darwinism, the true origins of this theory, and the fruitless
journey of those seeking to solve the mystery of language. Before Darwin,
Alfred Wallace promoted the idea of natural selection, only to later renounce
the theory because human speech could not be explained. With the help of other
experts, the famous linguist Noam Chomsky sought to discover the origins of
language, only to admit defeat after years of research. Upon studying an
isolated Amazon tribe, Daniel Everett gained insight on why people communicate
in different ways but came no closer to finding a naturalistic explanation for
language. Influential people have used language to change history for the
better, but Darwinism has misled people, thus this theory has hindered human
progress.
Summary
The book begins by taking readers to the night
an article titled “The Mystery of Language Evolution” inspired Wolfe to write
an analysis of the gift of language. After years of research eight experts including
evolutionists, anthropologists, computer scientists, and the famous linguist
Noam Chomsky, confessed to being unable to explain how and why language exists.[1] Wolfe writes on how the fact so many
intellectuals would give up on solving this mystery is a testament to how
Darwinism is a science unprogressive to humanity. Where other fields of science
such as physics and micro-biology have provided deeper understanding with
regards to space and time, or the discovery of DNA, Darwinism has offered
nothing of value.[2] Before further addressing the mystery of
language Wolfe provides readers with the origins of the theory of natural
selection. Though there were already naturalists who believed living organisms evolved
from prior organisms, no explanation could be provided to how and why animals
evolved.[3] While suffering fevers induced by malaria
Alfred Russel Wallace supposedly had a religious experience and received insight
on why some animals evolve while others die.
A few
years before the theory of natural selection, an anonymous author published a
book imaginatively outlining how living organisms connected, presenting one of
the first phylogenetic trees.[4] Several famous people were intrigued by the
book, including Abraham Lincoln, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert to name a
few.[5] Those in the religious community were unhappy
with this mysterious book, but the naturalists ridiculed the author as well for
failing to explain how the process of evolution worked.[6] This is where Wolfe brings readers back to
Wallace who, while struggling to survive malaria, came to believe “survival of
the fittest” was the answer. Wallace was acquainted enough with Darwin to seek
out this respected professor in the hope the idea of natural selection would be
shared with esteemed colleagues who would make this theory known. Wolfe writes
on how Wallace hastily wrote down the theory of natural selection, and then
contacted Darwin to share this news with the respected naturalist Sir Charles
Lyell.[7] Though coincidentally sharing a similar
theory originally Darwin was afraid to share the erroneous belief, but then
suddenly there was Wallace filling in a significant missing piece to the theory.
Darwin
was not happy to see what Wallace presented, for the theory Darwin had worked
on for years was missing this answer to why and how. Where Darwin received all
the fame for the theory of evolution, the most memorable quote, the big missing
piece to the theory came from a common uneducated man. From here Wolfe
describes how if only someone of Wallace status had shared the idea of natural
selection the theory would have never been respected. Later because of the
mystery of language Wallace renounced the initially perceived revelation and argued
against the Darwinian view of human origins. After sharing insights from
Wallace about the human mind and language, Wolfe personally expresses how
miraculous the gift of communication is while harmoniously ridiculing the
Darwinian view of humanity.
The famous linguist Noam Chomsky
popularized the idea of all languages being related to a first common tongue evolved
into early humans. Wolfe provides a brief biography on the research conducted
by Chomsky before describing how a relatively unknown Daniel Everett studied a
tribe deep in the amazon and discovered the theory Chomsky promoted is not
true. After a diverse group of experts, including Chomsky, failed to find a
Darwinian answer for the origins of language the searching ceased. In the end
readers are left recognizing what helped humanity gain success in this world is
the gift of language and not some accidental naturalistic process like
atheistic evolution.
At times readers may wonder what exactly
Wolfe is attempting to accomplish, since the writer identified as an atheist. The
writing style is clearly sarcastic and intentionally provoking fans of Darwin. Both
Darwin and Chomsky are ridiculed as being self-absorbed arrogant men who used
their influential power to try at silencing opposing views. Based on the
introduction readers are given the impression Wolfe was sitting down bored one
night hoping to find a controversial idea worth writing about. Readers can soon
tell Wolfe was someone who enjoyed ruffling the feathers of those who think to
highly of themselves.
Darwin certainly seemed to be lacking
answers, but lo, at one-point the esteemed but humble journalist Wolfe attempts
to solve the mystery of language. When the subject of mnemonics is addressed
readers might feel Wolfe was seeking to leave a possible legacy proving this
old journalist is smarter than the great Darwin. One can only imagine what
thoughts go through the mind of an old author who feels their writing and their
life may soon be forgotten. For an older Christian writer, one might imagine their
final book being focused on sharing the love of Christ and encouraging the
faithful ones to rest in Him. The thought of ridiculing Darwin would probably
not be the first writing topic on the list. Regardless of why this book was
written, Wolfe has inspired readers to investigate the subject further. For
example, the language of mathematics has not worked in favor of atheistic
evolution, for where lies are common in every other language, math cannot lie.
If not for mathematics one could not understand the complex universe or argue
on how improbable a naturalistic explanation for DNA is.
How Wolfe viewed the subject of mnemonics is
the idea some early human, or humans, started making sounds to help remember
certain things.[8] For
example, some brilliant caveman caught some fire from a lightning storm and
recognized this was a good thing to stay warm. To make sure those in the tribe
understood the value of fire the caveman pointed at the flames and made the
sound “fire” or the same word in whatever first sounds cavemen made. Perhaps
the idea is the first Homo-sapiens to make further use of mnemonics eventually
inspired all the others to, and this led to speech being the first great
invention of man.
Wolfe believed the first artifact separating
humanity from the animals was speech.[9] This
is where the argument grows interesting as Wolfe explains how without speech no
invention of man from the first refined club, or music, or the wheel would have
been possible.[10] All
plans the human mind uses to create is dependent on the ability to know the
words necessary to help one remember the plan, and complete the project, and
all of this began with mnemonics. Although this is an interesting theory which
may or may not leave Wolfe remembered, this theory does not explain why people
have a mind capable of putting all the words together in a form of loving
relational communication. Communicating love is not necessary for survival from
an atheistic evolutionary perspective, especially concerning love for those
less fortunate. For those who decided to express sacrificial love this cannot
always be attributed to survival of the fittest. Parents have had children with
mental and physical impairments, and where abortion was an option many chose to
live a life of sacrifice so their children could feel loved. The most beautiful
knowledge accessible because of the gift of language is the gospel. Jesus
Christ chose to die for those undeserving of His great love, and almost all the
world has heard this story. Choosing to die so the tribe survives makes sense
from a Darwinian perspective but choosing to die for those who are not the
fittest, and certainly not deserving, does not make sense in this worldview.
The way Wolfe tells the stories of these
characters is quite rewarding, reminding readers famous intellectuals like
Darwin and Chomsky are also normal people capable of being very wrong. Because
of the faulty presuppositions of their flawed mentors’ explorers like Wallace
and Everett were left with big unanswered questions. Anyone seeking after
answers will be found unfruitful if their worldview is grounded in a false
foundational belief. Whereas, the informed Christian argues for their view
being grounded in the ultimate Truth because foundational theological beliefs
are consistently supported by scientific discoveries, moreover these
discoveries bring clearer understanding to doctrinal beliefs once thought to be
beyond human understanding, significant examples being the incarnation, the purposeful
designing of a universe sustaining intelligent life, and the Trinity.[11] Indeed the informed Christian will not
be easily intimidated by the faulty biased views of famous authoritative
figures, but instead will feel ever more driven to seek after the truth and
counter the lies.
Because of presupposing the beliefs of
Chomsky to be correct Everett proved unable to decipher the Pirahã language,
even after trying for many years.[12] Sometimes one must discover a lie first
before accessing the truth. This may remind readers of apologist Nabeel
Qureshi, where this person sought after answers starting with the belief Allah
is God, only to discover later Jesus Christ is Lord. Other Christian apologists
like J. Warner Wallace and Lee Strobel began their investigation presupposing atheistic
evolution is true and there is no evidence for the legitimacy of Christianity. The
journey towards truth involves discovering the evidence against the lies, like
the lie of there being no evidence for a Designer, or there being no credible
historical evidence for the resurrection. The biggest lies often operate like a
babushka doll, where one begins with a large wooden doll, and opens the doll to
discover a smaller one inside. This can go on until one finds the smallest doll
at the center or better yet a more valued treasure at the center. A good idea
for someone who desires to propose would be to hide a diamond ring at the
center of the babushka doll. This is what Christ offers for those compelled by
the Holy Spirit to seek after truth, the shining revelation of Christ asking
one to enter an eternal relationship where one has hope of escaping a realm
blinded by lies (Matt. 7:7 NIV).[13] Indeed, Wolfe does a fine job of
explaining why those seeking after truth will grow more confused if the journey
begins starting with a false premise.
In the concluding chapter readers may
wonder if Wolfe did come to recognize and accept the truth found in Jesus
Christ. When arguing human speech is the only reason people ask questions and
seek answers to grow mentally and spiritually, Wolfe lists six famous figures
who proved the gift of speech and not evolution is the greatest power for
changing human history. Regarding these famous historical figures Wolfe begins
with Jesus Christ. Before mentioning the hope Christ offers Wolfe reminds
readers the explanation is not required to offer hope, yet hope is a most
valued attribute of speech.[14] Where Darwin and others argued there is
only hope for the fittest, and those less fortunate are destined to go extinct,
Jesus said, “the last shall be first and the first shall be last” (Matt.
20:16). Wolfe refers to the Sermon on the Mount as “the most radical social and
political doctrine ever promulgated.”[15] From here Wolfe makes the point on how
the following significant historical figures, listing Calvin, Muhammad, Marx,
Freud, and lastly Darwin had less and less to offer regarding hope for
humanity, stating “Darwin offered nothing at all.”[16] If not for language people could not
compare the hope found in Christ with the meaninglessness of life found in the radically
theoretical theory attributed to the late Darwin.
Conclusion
[1] Tom Wolfe, The Kingdom of Speech, (New York,
NY: Little, Brown and Company, 2016), 3-4.
[2] Wolfe, The Kingdom of Speech,
5.
[3] Ibid., 8.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid., 9.
[7] Ibid., 11.
[9] Wolfe, The Kingdom of Speech, 163.
[11] Multiple scholarly sources show genuine discoveries in science only ever provide evidence supportive of the biblical worldview, thus continuously discoveries in multiple branches of science add to the credibility of the ultimate Truth, and never serve to disprove Christianity: Anne L. C. Runehov, The Human being, the World and God: Studies at the Interface of Philosophy of Religion, Philosophy of Mind and Neuroscience, (Cham, Switzerland: Springer, 2016); Simon Conway Morris, The Runes of Evolution: How the Universe Became Self-Aware, (West Conshohocken, PA: Templeton Press, 2015), 265-266; Tom Wolfe, The Kingdom of Speech, (New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company, 2016), 3-4; Paul Golata, The Ethics of Superintelligent Design, (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2018), 8; Werner Heisenberg, Physics and Philosophy, (New York: NY, Penguin Books, 2000), 45; Stephen C. Meyer, Darwin’s Doubt, (Broadway, NY: HarperOne, 2013), 396-397; Steve Wilkens, Faith and Reason: Three Views, (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2014); Richard Bauckham, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony (Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 2006; Gary R. Habermas, The Risen Jesus & Future Hope, (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2003); John Granger Cook, "Resurrection in Paganism and the Question of an Empty Tomb in 1 Corinthians 15," New Testament Studies 63, no. 1 (01, 2017); Darrell L. Bock, Studying the Historical Jesus, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing, 2002; Andreas J. Kostenberger, Darrell L. Bock, Josh D. Chatraw, Truth in a Culture of Doubt, (Nashville TN: B&H Publishing, 2009; Richard Bauckham, Jesus and the God of Israel, (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdman's Publishing Company, 2009; Michael J. Kruger, The Question of Canon, (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2013; John C. Lennox, Gunning for God: Why the New Atheists are Missing the Target, (Oxford: Lion, 2011), 170-171; Timothy Keller, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism, (New York, NY: RiverHead Books, 2008), 104-106, 112-113; Josh McDowell, Evidence that Demands a Verdict, (San Bernadino, CA: Here’s Life Publishers, 1992), 44-45; Stephen C. Meyer, Signature in the Cell, (Broadway, NY: HarperOne, 2009), 125, 257, 367, 406-407, 454, 455, 461, 464; Frank J. Tipler, “Intelligent Life in Cosmology,” (International Journal of Astrobiology, Vol. 2(2): 141-148 (2003); Hugh Ross, William A. Dembski, ed., Mere Creation: Science, Faith and Intelligent Design (Downers Grove, Ill,; Intervarsity, 1998), 363-84; see also chapter by Hugh Ross, “Astronomical Evidences for a Personal, Transcendent God” in J.P. Moreland, ed., The Creation Hypothesis: Scientific Evidence for an Intelligent Designer (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 1994), 169-70; Paul Halpern, The Great Beyond: Higher Dimensions, Parallel Universes, and the Extraordinary Search for a Theory of Everything. (Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley, 2004), 11-12; Michael Silberstein, W.M. Stuckey, and Timothy McDevitt, Beyond the Dynamical Universe: Unifying Block Universe Physics and Time as Experienced, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018), 11-14;
Four specific discoveries proving science continuously appears compatible with Christian theology: (1) An explanation of 3 of the 6 experimental evidences for the Big Bang cosmology: Clarke, D. Roy, A. E. Astronomy: ‘Principles and Practice’ (2003), (4th ed.), Institute of Physics publishing, Bristol and Philadelphia. Kaviraj, S. “The significant contribution of minor mergers to the cosmic star formation budget” (Printed 2nd October 2013, arXiv paper 1310:0007), Centre for Astrophysics Research, University of Hertfordshire, College Lane, Hatfield, Herts, AL10 9AB, UK. Lintott, C. May, B. Moore, P. ‘Bang!’ (2012), Carlton Books Ltd: www.BangUniverse.com NASA: http://hubblesite.org/hubble_discoveries/breakthroughs/cosmology Penzias, A. A. Wilson, R. W. ‘A Measurement of Excess Antenna Temperature at 4080 Mc/s’. Astrophysical Journal, vol. 142, p.419-421(ApJ Homepage), July1965.Source https://www.physicsforums.com/insights/exploring-the-universe-is-there-evidence-for-the-big-bang/ (2) Universe was fine-tuned for the emergence of intelligent life (humanity) : “Gravity mysteries: Why is gravity fine-tuned?” New Scientist Magazine (2009) https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20227123-000-gravity-mysteries-why-is-gravity-fine-tuned/ Frank J. Tipler, “Intelligent Life in Cosmology,” (International Journal of Astrobiology, Vol. 2(2): 141-148 (2003); Hugh Ross, William A. Dembski, ed., Mere Creation: Science, Faith and Intelligent Design (Downers Grove, Ill,; Intervarsity, 1998), 363-84; see also chapter by Hugh Ross, “Astronomical Evidences for a Personal, Transcendent God” in J.P. Moreland, ed., The Creation Hypothesis: Scientific Evidence for an Intelligent Designer (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 1994), 169-70; Paul Halpern, The Great Beyond: Higher Dimensions, Parallel Universes, and the Extraordinary Search for a Theory of Everything. (Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley, 2004), 11-12; Michael Silberstein, W.M. Stuckey, and Timothy McDevitt, Beyond the Dynamical Universe: Unifying Block Universe Physics and Time as Experienced, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018), 11-14, (3) The evidence shows functional protein sequences cannot come about by chance : Axe, Douglas D., “Estimating the prevalence of protein sequences adopting functional enzyme folds,” Journal of molecular biology vol. 341,5 (2004): 1295-315. doi:10.1016/j.jmb.2004.06.058, (4) Ediacaran fauna are not precursors to Cambrian fossils, thus the Cambrian fossil record provides tangible evidence for complex design as these complicated organisms appear to have exploded into existence : N. J. Butterfield, “Terminal Developments in Ediacaran Embryology,” (Science Magazine), Vol. 334 (6063): 1655-1656 (2011), doi: 10.1126/science.1216125.
[12] Wolfe, The Kingdom of Speech, 110.
[13]
Unless otherwise noted, all
biblical passages referenced are in the New
International Version (Indianapolis, IN: Zondervan, 1990).
[15] Ibid., 166.
[16] Ibid.
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