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Re: Brain development.
Ralph L Holloway (rlh2@COLUMBIA.EDU)
Wed, 1 Feb 1995 12:17:57 -0500
At this point its only possible to be philosophical. 'Intelligence' is so
hard to define. I persoanally believe that no, the niche hasn't been
"filled" before, i.e., a niche where symbol-mediated constructs can
become "environmental" as they have in the human case. We always tend to
equate 'intelligence' with success, and I am a real pessimist about the
human future on the basis of its historical display of 'intelligence'. As
I read the whole fossil record, many if not most genera have an
evolutionary life-span of at least 5 million years, many with more time.
The human genus Homo has had a lifespan of 2 million years as an
idetifiable genus. I have trouble imagining another 3 million years of
our fun and games, and despite the human genus' ability to understand and
discuss its living consequewnces upon the world (in all its interwoven
ecological complexity), we are having one hell of a time cooperating and
insuring our own children of some admirable continuity. I might agree
that 'intelligence' could be 'just another asset', but I think human
intelligence, based on arbitrary symbol where culture is an impostion, is
something real special...and dangerous. Ralph Holloway.
On Wed, 1 Feb 1995,
Steve Nicholas wrote:
>
> Is it possible that the 'intelligence' niche had never been filled
> evolutionally thus paving the way for a very rapid filling of that
> niche? Is that the way it goes?
>
> Is intelligence 'just another asset' just like looking like a stick is to
> a stick insect or is there something 'special', something 'different'
> about man's presence as the dominant species (or is this not the case)?
>
> On Wed, 1 Feb 1995, Ralph L Holloway wrote:
>
> >
> > Good question. In the narrow sense of brain/intelligence (rather than,
> > say, bipedalism and ecological extension, etc) the human case is pretty
> > anamolous, although there are episodes in other animal evolutionary
> > histories where brain size increase took place, as in the horse family,
> > and to other smaller degrees in carnivores. We would need a really much
> > expanded and more complete fossil record for all animals to really answer
> > the question. But oither "...advantageous assests..." could means a
> > "dramatic" change in some other morphological pattern such as the
> > dentition and diet, horse digit reduction, cetacean evoution from a
> > terrestrial base, etc., etc.
> > Ralph Holloway.
> > On Wed, 1 Feb 1995, Steve Nicholas wrote:
> >
> > > Is there evidence to suggest that the dramatic increase in human brain
> > > size/intelligence is anomolous as compared to the evolutional
> > > development of advantageous assets by other species?
> > >
> > > --
> > > Steve Nicholas
> > > Western Geophysical, Manton Lane, BEDFORD, Beds., MK42 7PA, UK.
> > > Steve.Nicholas@wg.waii.com | Phone +44 1234 224411 | Fax +44 1234 224507
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
>
> --
> Steve Nicholas
> Western Geophysical, Manton Lane, BEDFORD, Beds., MK42 7PA, UK.
> Steve.Nicholas@wg.waii.com | Phone +44 1234 224411 | Fax +44 1234 224507
>
>
>
>
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