Posted: Feb 13, 2011 9:08 am
jez9999 wrote:trubble76 wrote:jez9999 wrote:But if our success is short-lived, it will surely be because we destroy ourselves through war or destroying the climate. It won't be for 'baser' evolutionary reasons that we've been out-competed by other species. The fact that only one thing like the human brain has ever evolved is why I'm drawing attention to it as a massive evolutionary anomaly, without precedent, that's hard to explain scientifically.
Evolution doesn't care (for want of a better word) whether we become "unfit" through competition or through self-inflicted reasons, there is no difference.
I agree that the human brain is an anomaly and without precedent, but I don't think it necessarily follows that it's scientifically difficult to explain, no more than other bits of our body. Perhaps you could specify which aspects of human brain evolution that you consider to be the most problematic and maybe we could take a look?
Our development of incredibly advanced speech, ability for abstract reasoning, future planning based on knowledge of past events, and a very advanced development of art and culture. All of these seem like big advantages to humans now, but it's hard to see them developing in a slow, incremental, evolutionary way.
I think it's just a selection that progressed and escalated over time. In the old days the tribe leader, the boss, was the one with the best pick of the women. The tribe leader, the king, could have had more than one wife plus a series of concubines, just because he was the man in charge. And who got to be king? That wasn't just a matter of strength, but one of intelligence and tactical skills. Why you and not your older or younger brother or your overly ambitious cousin? The one who could make the best alliances, make the best decisions, get the best people to look after him, would have a better chance of getting to be boss around the village, no? And it also has an impact on which tribe gets to rule the area and which tribe gets to be enslaved or even annihilated. Those with the better generals tend to have the best chances and how often in history did a lead general or warlord get to be the next king?
So yes, intelligence and hyper intelligence are selected for because that brings a man higher on the social ladder and thus better chances to reproduce. Even today one needs intelligence to climb the social ladder, outwitting those trying to do the same and those above you.