Were Neanderthals capable of abstract thinking?

Question

I read a cave painting drawn by a Neanderthal has never been discovered yet I was watching a show about them on TV and it said there was a flute found in a cave where they lived.

Answer 1

Well, because Neanderthals no longer exist, it is difficult to truly answer this question, however, they did live in troops, and there is evidence to suggest ritual burials of the dead, which would suggest religion and abstract thought were are part of the Neanderthals' lifestyle.

Answer 2

Yes, Neanderthals were capable of abstract thinking as they were capable of creating art, ritual burials and speech.

Answer 3

I read Dr. Ian Tattersal's book, becoming human.  He suggested that because symbollic artifacts began appearing in the archeological /fossil record about 50,000 years ago, this was the theoretical starting point of language.  I was amazed that someone so learned could make such a rediculous statement but it is widely shared.  I thought when they discovered that Neanderthals had a very well evolved hyoid bone probably used for uttering sounds that this would end that theory but it still persists.  For me, the well developed thyoid bone indicates that in every likelihood, our ancestors were talking at least for half a million years, albeit not as well as we do today since we share a common ancestor with Neanderthals about 3 or 4 hundred thousand years ago.  Neanderthals lived in a harsh environment and I do believe they were almost certainly capable of abstract thinking, symbollic thinking, and were in fact probably pretty intelligent.  Their brain size is comparable to ours.

Answer 4

It's still under debate.  There have been a few findings like the flute you described.  There's also been evidence of flowers and red ochre in Neanderthal burials, which, if so, means that they thought about death and what happens afterwards.  Red ochre is often used in human burials, often as a sort of symbol of the blood you're covered in when you're born.  Flowers are also a pretty strong fertility and renewal symbol.

There are arguments against those remains even being buried intentionally, let alone being buried with grave goods.  I don't know too much about the arguments, so my opinion here is as good as yours, really, but I like to think that it was intentional.  There's always people willing to argue for the exceptionality of homo sapiens, and it reminds me so much of the old arguments for the exceptionality of white people.  To me, it seems like more "I'm special, d@mmit, and no one else is as special as me and my family".  Maybe I just read "Clan of the Cave Bears" too often.

Answer 5

Neanderthals were capable of abstract thought.

The practice of burying the dead, sometimes in a ritual manner, at some Neanderthal sites indicates development of proto-religious or even religious thought hence an indication that Neanderthals were cognizant of something outside the self, an abstract concept in itself.

The "caveman" stereotype is just that, a stereotype. I've seen the Geico commercials; one of them was asked to talk to a doll.  He not only understood the abstract concept, but he thought that was a ridiculous suggestion showing a greater capacity for reason and imagination never before ascribed to a Neanderthal.