What demands brought about human intelligence? (dinosaur, Kingdom, evolution, anthropology)

[Francine]

Why didn't beavers go from dam-building to great cities long ago? Wolf packs have greater natural selection pressures than apes picking berries. On the great tree of life why did the Homo Sapiens twig wake up? Any other animal preceding us as a civilization would have tapped all the oil. We know we're the first. It took 4.6 billion years to get here. How long to the next civilized species after we're gone? If evolution is without purpose, intelligence must be an accident. The dinosaurs were tried once, but evolution stumbled on. Can any species claim to be the peak of blind, continuing forces?

[Storm]

I don't believe evolution is without purpose. That is a philosophical, not a scientific, stance.

I also question whether we are truly the only sapient species. It may well be that other animals equal or even surpass our intelligence, but have not become "civilized" as we have due to other reasons. For example, the lack of opposable thumbs to give them our finely honed tool-making abilities.

[rojse]

Originally Posted by Francine

Why didn't beavers go from dam-building to great cities long ago? Wolf packs have greater natural selection pressures than apes picking berries. On the great tree of life why did the Homo Sapiens twig wake up? Any other animal preceding us as a civilization would have tapped all the oil. We know we're the first. It took 4.6 billion years to get here. How long to the next civilized species after we're gone? If evolution is without purpose, intelligence must be an accident. The dinosaurs were tried once, but evolution stumbled on. Can any species claim to be the peak of blind, continuing forces?

There are some animals which are hampered by intelligence. The fruit fly was one that I remember reading about. Although intelligence allowed them to perform some simple tasks, it did not make it any easier for them to get to food, breed, or survive dangers. An advantage in one of these areas is necessary to give one animal in a species advantage over the rest, which allows them to breed more successfully, and have more chance to pass on their genes. Because none of these occured, intelligence was not useful to them in an evolutionary sense.

I hope this helps. An excellent question, by the way.

[Jaiket]

That's a provocative question. Have you looked into the field of human evolution?

[Sola'lor]

Originally Posted by Francine

Why didn't beavers go from dam-building to great cities long ago? Wolf packs have greater natural selection pressures than apes picking berries. On the great tree of life why did the Homo Sapiens twig wake up? Any other animal preceding us as a civilization would have tapped all the oil. We know we're the first. It took 4.6 billion years to get here. How long to the next civilized species after we're gone? If evolution is without purpose, intelligence must be an accident. The dinosaurs were tried once, but evolution stumbled on. Can any species claim to be the peak of blind, continuing forces?

This is an excellent way to state what I've been trying to say. Thanks for this post.

[nutshell]

Originally Posted by Francine

Why didn't beavers go from dam-building to great cities long ago? Wolf packs have greater natural selection pressures than apes picking berries. On the great tree of life why did the Homo Sapiens twig wake up? Any other animal preceding us as a civilization would have tapped all the oil. We know we're the first. It took 4.6 billion years to get here. How long to the next civilized species after we're gone? If evolution is without purpose, intelligence must be an accident. The dinosaurs were tried once, but evolution stumbled on. Can any species claim to be the peak of blind, continuing forces?

I don't have an answer, only a theory developed now on impulse. I learned in anthropology that primates are horrible in physical contests. We're slower, weaker, and less agile than much of the animal kingdom. Perhaps, to compete for resources we had to be something the others weren't: smarter.

[Sola'lor]

Prof that evolution isn't correct:

1. All the idiots in the world.
2. Squirrels.

If evolution was right squirrels would have become extinct LONG ago.

Hopefully everyone realizes this is a joke and not meant for serious discussion.

[Seyorni]

I suspect a genetic accident, perhaps a duplication mutation resulting in an abundance of mirror neurons, enabling individuals to learn from others much more efficiently, and to pass on aquired technology to offspring.

The rigors of Pleisticene Europe and Asia, and the need for planning, co-ordinating hunting, &c, no doubt selected for intelligence as well, but this doesn't explain the equivalent intelligence of those who remained in the tropics.

[rojse]

Originally Posted by Seyorni

I suspect a genetic accident, perhaps a duplication mutation resulting in an abundance of mirror neurons, enabling individuals to learn from others much more efficiently, and to pass on aquired technology to offspring.

The rigors of Pleisticene Europe and Asia, and the need for planning, co-ordinating hunting, &c, no doubt selected for intelligence as well, but this doesn't explain the equivalent intelligence of those who remained in the tropics.

Yes it does. In the tropics, there are many dangers from predators, too. Those that were more intelligent would be able to come up with new ways to defeat these dangers, as well as hunting meat and so forth.