tools-intelligence

• Messages sorted by: [ date ][ thread ][ subject ][ author ]
• Next message: Read, Dwight ANTHRO: "Sexual dimoprhism in human brain..."
• Previous message: Scott MacEachern: "New Archaeology Gopher - Calgary"

I'd hoped this thread wouldn't die. Unfortunately, I'm swamped so
it's hard to keep up. Still, I think there is a lot left to talk
about. For my part, for now this short note will have to do.

1. RE: Tools and language. H. Dibble (1989 The implications of stone
tool types for the presence of language during the lower and middle
paleolithic. in Mellers & Stringer (eds.) _The human revolution_)
concluded that tool types do not reflect language ability. Although,
he does suggest that analyses of other aspects of tool industries other
than types may be more fruitful. I'm not sure how this information
should be interpreted, but suspect that it argues against (or is
intended to argue against) the "social behavior & intelligence"
hypothesis.

2. RE: Chimps and reciprocity. F. deWaal has observed that chimps
who share food are much more likely to be the recipients of food
than are chimps that do not share food. To me this indicates the
antiquity/primitiveness of the complex type of reciprocity we see
in modern humans. Sorry, I don't have a citation on hand, but I'll
try to get one. Also, there are a number of points I'd like to
discuss about human adaptations for social exchange, but they will
have to wait for now.

3. Tool use certainly involves sophisticated goal oriented behavior.
I think it might be useful to discuss some of these goals and how
cognitive mechanisms for these behaviors might have evolved.

4. I'm a little surprised that no one has mentioned the evolution of
mechanisms for the transmission of cultural information in this thread.
It seems like a logic direction for the discussion.

Rob Quinlan

• Next message: Read, Dwight ANTHRO: "Sexual dimoprhism in human brain..."
• Previous message: Scott MacEachern: "New Archaeology Gopher - Calgary"