In America we let folks like Rockstar have their ideas as a basic matter of personal freedom. I have found that when you are warm enough and your belly is full the world is an OK place. Some things can make it more comfortable, and even prettier, but that is what makes it OK.
Being able to carry on more than minimal communications, in that humans are able to share ideas as well as just knowledge, has got to be near the top of the list for having allowed humans to advance. My dog was very smart and she knew a lot of words, but she was unable to communicate most of her knowledge or share ideas very well. ON the other hand, we would probably all be better off if all of the computers involved with Wall Street were replaced by dogs. If nothing else, the high level crime would be vastly reduced.
Quality of of life can easily be expressed mathematically.
Considering the relevant parameters:
Let QL = Quality of Life
H = health
X = sex
S = social status
W = wealth
First solving for males, we have:
QL = X * sqrt(H * S * W)
Then for females:
QL = (W * sqrt(H * S))/X
I guess it's a question of semantics, but I'd still argue that all manner of animals communicate (from apes down to ants and bees) but only man has language - if you want to call it written communication, so be it, but the ability to express and exchange ideas rather than saying just "Go away" or "here's some food" or "look out!" goes way beyond just the written form. I'm glad it won, anyway. Now I'm off for a beer!