When I came across this image...

...I recalled the amazing grooming theory by anthropologist Robin Dunbar. The theory is basically this:

Apes and monkeys, humanity's closest kin, differ from other animals in the intensity of these relationships. All their grooming is not so much about hygiene as it is about cementing bonds, making friends, and influencing fellow primates. But for early humans, grooming as a way to social success posed a problem: given their large social groups of 150 or so, our earliest ancestors would have had to spend almost half their time grooming one another—an impossible burden. What Dunbar suggests—and his research, whether in the realm of primatology or in that of gossip, confirms—is that humans developed language to serve the same purpose, but far more efficiently.

Let's turn our attention to the famous hate Heidegger had for chatter. He thought it was so pointless, such a solid waste of time, soul-crushing, and inauthentic. For the peasant of the Black Forest, a state of authenticity could only be achieved with the kind of heavy talk that confronts important truths and serious spiritual matters. But now we are beginning to see this other truth, this strong possibility: chatter is not just about chatter but also about grooming--"cementing social bonds."

[L]anguage in fact evolved in response to our need to keep up to date with friends and family. We needed conversation to stay in touch, and we still need it in ways that will not be satisfied by teleconferencing, email, or any other communication technology.

Heidegger is famous for his turn from ontology to language. The peasant of the Black Forest even claimed that "language is the house being." If only he lived long enough to see that the foundation of his mystical house might very well be this grooming business beloved by baboons.

Image by Sookie.