ABSTRACT
The mind and body were minted together, never apart, never in isolation of their bonding. Rene Descarte split the mind from the body in 1650 with his publication of Passions de l'ame. In spite of history and personal beliefs, psychologists have long believed that the mind is not distinct from the body. The subjective and private aspects of mentation are being transformed into "rules of the mind," sometimes using computer metaphors, at other times by looking for physical and psychological correlates to our experiences. Psycholinguist Peter MacNeilage argues that asymmetrical functioning of the left and right hemispheres of the brain is a prerequisite for language. The left hemispheric control of the right hand became the foundation of a communication system that began with right hand movements but eventually involved left hemispheric control of language. Language develops in characteristic ways, and it is driven by motor patterns and brain differentials.
