Ever Since Dennett: On the Origins of Biolinguistics

In their ‘Biolinguistics Manifesto’, Boeckx & Grohmann (2007: 3) rightly point out “that the recent resurgence of interest in ‘biolinguistics’ is due in large part to the advent of the minimalist program in linguistic theory”. Various reasons have been given for the necessity of moving from (some kind of) GB-style grammar research toward minimalism, some more conceptual (cf. e.g. Chomsky 2007: 19), some more empirical (cf. e.g. Holmberg 2000). However, arguably one of the motivating sources neglected so far is a remark by Daniel Dennett, which this very brief note is meant to bring to everyone’s attention (again). In reflecting upon the explanatory burden put on UG by Chomsky (1980b, 1980c), Dennett gives vent to an uneasy feeling about “passing the buck to biology”. He therefore — constructively, I believe (cf. Dennett 1995: 388) — “challenges Chomsky” as follows: