John Zerilli’s book, The Adaptable Mind: What Neuroplasticity and Neural Reuse Tell Us about Language and Cognition, asks a big question: How does the brain really work? Especially: Does it have special parts for things like language, or does it reuse the same parts for many different things?
He starts with the old idea of the brain as modular — like a toolbox with separate drawers. One drawer for language, another for music, another for logic, and so on. This idea was especially popular with smart folks like Noam Chomsky and Jerry Fodor. They believed we were born with special “brain compartments” that each do just one job.
But Zerilli says: “Modern brain science tells a different story!”
What does modern neuroscience show?
- Neuroplasticity
The brain is like plastic — it’s flexible! It can change and rewire itself in childhood and throughout life. Even after a stroke or injury, other brain parts can step in and take over.
. - Neural reuse
Parts of your brain are reused for multiple tasks. The same area that helps with language might also help with music or memory. It’s like using one tool for different jobs.
But what about language?
Chomsky argued that humans must be “built for language” — it’s too complex to learn from scratch. But Zerilli shows that language isn’t locked into a single brain area. For example, some children with damage to the left side of their brain can still learn to speak — because the right side takes over.
This proves that language doesn’t come from one fixed “language module.”
So, how should we think about the brain?
Zerilli says the brain isn’t like a bunch of separate drawers. It’s more like a team or a network:
- Different parts work together.
- Parts can be reused for many jobs.
- The combinations change depending on what you’re doing.
- It’s flexible, adaptable, and smart.
Instead of big, fixed “language modules,” we might have small “mini-modules” — little brain areas that do certain things — but even those get reused.
What does this mean?
- Your brain isn’t made of fixed blocks that each do one job.
- It’s more like LEGO blocks — you build different things using the same pieces.
- That means your brain is adaptable, creative, and always learning.
Why should you care?
- You’re not stuck with the brain you were “born with.” You can grow, change, and improve.
- Language, memory, thinking — they’re not just “built-in.” They grow from experience.
- So don’t say, “I’m just not good at X.” Your brain can learn. That’s what it’s made for!
The big idea?
- The brain isn’t a set of separate boxes. It’s a flexible, powerful team.
- Language and thinking aren’t locked away in special parts of the brain.
- They grow from shared, reusable circuits that work together in different ways.
So instead of thinking “one part = one job,” Zerilli wants us to see the brain as a smart, adaptable system — where the same brain parts are mixed and matched to handle all sorts of tasks.
