Alan Watts and Joseph Campbell, though they approach the subject from slightly different philosophical angles, both speak to the idea of innate human expression as a fundamental manifestation of life. While neither explicitly focuses on “baby utterances” in their most well-known works, their broader philosophies resonate with the idea that early expressions, such as those of babies, are pure, unfiltered impulses of life.

Alan Watts

Alan Watts often emphasized the interconnectedness of all things and the spontaneity of life. He likened human expression, including seemingly simple or primal actions, to the way nature operates. A baby’s cooing, crying, or babbling could be seen through his lens as expressions of the universe itself—natural, spontaneous, and uncontrived. Watts often compared such pure expressions to music or dance, which exist for their own sake, rather than as a means to an end.

For Watts, these baby utterances could be viewed as the Tao—life simply manifesting itself without pretense or agenda. Babies express their impulses freely, unburdened by societal conditioning, and this raw authenticity aligns with his philosophy of being present and allowing life to flow.

Joseph Campbell

Joseph Campbell, with his focus on myth and the “hero’s journey,” might approach baby utterances as a primordial form of storytelling and connection to the life force. Campbell often spoke about the numinous—the mysterious, awe-inspiring aspects of existence—and how humans, from birth, are connected to these archetypal energies.

A baby’s sounds and expressions might be interpreted by Campbell as primal signals of humanity’s shared journey through life. These early sounds reflect the same impulse that drives myth-making: the need to express, connect, and interact with the surrounding world. For Campbell, this unfiltered expression might represent the essence of life as it moves from potentiality to actuality, echoing his idea that life itself is an unfolding of the “cosmic dance.”

Overlap in Their Perspectives

Both Watts and Campbell would likely see baby utterances as emblematic of life’s intrinsic creativity and vitality:

• For Watts, they are spontaneous expressions of the universe’s flow, a natural and unthinking act of being.

• For Campbell, they might symbolize the earliest stage of the human quest—the uninhibited voice of life beginning its journey.

Both philosophers celebrate these unmediated impulses as part of the richness of existence and the human experience.