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The period I'm referencing with 30,000-50,000 years ago is known as the Upper Paleolithic Revolution. This is where a very large number of things happened nearl

by rjf72 7y ago

The period I'm referencing with 30,000-50,000 years ago is known as the Upper Paleolithic Revolution. This is where a very large number of things happened nearly simultaneously. Homo sapien began to interbreed with various other species, and they took on the anatomical form we mostly have today. In specimens prior to this period you generally find substantial anatomical differences such as thicker bones, larger canines, etc. But most importantly of all this is where you find the first clear evidence of intelligence which rapidly expand outward: art, ceremonial burials, clear evidence of fishing, and much more. Some time after that you start to see the beginning of modern civilization with bladed weapons, pottery, agriculture, and so on. This is also one of the most likely time periods for the development of language, though that is something that is hotly debated. I'm going to dodge the second part of your post for the sake of trying to keep the conversation on the up and up. If you have some clear message you'd like to convey, I'd be happy to get into that. It's a fun topic. However, please do drop the ad hominem.

lkrubner 7y ago
There is nothing ad hominem about my question. I don’t know you. For all I know you are an 18 year old who is simply repeating alt-right conspiracies that you read on 4chan. I do think it is interesting that you avoided answering my question. You avoided responding to anything I wrote. Ian Tattersall published a study suggesting that homo sapiens left Africa between 200,000 and 150,000 years ago. Sapiens reached Indonesia 70,000 years ago, and Australia by 50,000 years ago. I’m not sure if you’ve ever thought about the implications of what you are saying, but if you honestly believe that all of the cultural innovations of the Upper Paleolithic Revolution, happening north of the Sahara, in the Levant and across Eurasia, are due to biological change, then you are saying that the the people who were left behind in Sub-Saharan Africa are not fully human. That is a popular argument with racists. I’m not accusing you of being a racist, but I am asking you if that is seriously the argument you are trying to make. There are some other types of argument, similar to yours, that I've run into online. Some people insist that humans were genetically engineered by aliens. That argument is based on no evidence, though it does have the nice property that is not raced based. Some other people make a religious and/or spiritual argument, arguing that there is a universal consciousness and that it spread across the world 50,000 years ago. That has all the problems of any religious argument -- it could be true, but there is no evidence and no way to prove it. What I am asking is what type of argument are you making? Are you making a racial argument? Or do you believe in aliens? Or do you think some kind of god is responsible? Or are you willing to consider what I've suggested, that economic and cultural development is complex, and can not be easily mapped back to biological changes?
lkrubner 7y ago
Why was my previous response downvoted? What part of it was illegitimate? I tried to summarize some of the different types of arguments that I've heard online, on this particular topic. All of this is true, these are examples from actual conversations that I've had online: "There are some other types of argument, similar to yours, that I've run into online. Some people insist that humans were genetically engineered by aliens. That argument is based on no evidence, though it does have the nice property that is not raced based. Some other people make a religious and/or spiritual argument, arguing that there is a universal consciousness and that it spread across the world 50,000 years ago. That has all the problems of any religious argument -- it could be true, but there is no evidence and no way to prove it." There is nothing ad hominem about trying to clarify what sort of argument someone is making. So I am curious why that previous comment was downvoted?

by rjf72 7y ago

lkrubner 7y ago

There is nothing ad hominem about my question. I don’t know you. For all I know you are an 18 year old who is simply repeating alt-right conspiracies that you read on 4chan. I do think it is interesting that you avoided answering my question. You avoided responding to anything I wrote. Ian Tattersall published a study suggesting that homo sapiens left Africa between 200,000 and 150,000 years ago. Sapiens reached Indonesia 70,000 years ago, and Australia by 50,000 years ago. I’m not sure if you’ve ever thought about the implications of what you are saying, but if you honestly believe that all of the cultural innovations of the Upper Paleolithic Revolution, happening north of the Sahara, in the Levant and across Eurasia, are due to biological change, then you are saying that the the people who were left behind in Sub-Saharan Africa are not fully human. That is a popular argument with racists. I’m not accusing you of being a racist, but I am asking you if that is seriously the argument you are trying to make. There are some other types of argument, similar to yours, that I've run into online. Some people insist that humans were genetically engineered by aliens. That argument is based on no evidence, though it does have the nice property that is not raced based. Some other people make a religious and/or spiritual argument, arguing that there is a universal consciousness and that it spread across the world 50,000 years ago. That has all the problems of any religious argument -- it could be true, but there is no evidence and no way to prove it. What I am asking is what type of argument are you making? Are you making a racial argument? Or do you believe in aliens? Or do you think some kind of god is responsible? Or are you willing to consider what I've suggested, that economic and cultural development is complex, and can not be easily mapped back to biological changes?

lkrubner 7y ago

Why was my previous response downvoted? What part of it was illegitimate? I tried to summarize some of the different types of arguments that I've heard online, on this particular topic. All of this is true, these are examples from actual conversations that I've had online: "There are some other types of argument, similar to yours, that I've run into online. Some people insist that humans were genetically engineered by aliens. That argument is based on no evidence, though it does have the nice property that is not raced based. Some other people make a religious and/or spiritual argument, arguing that there is a universal consciousness and that it spread across the world 50,000 years ago. That has all the problems of any religious argument -- it could be true, but there is no evidence and no way to prove it." There is nothing ad hominem about trying to clarify what sort of argument someone is making. So I am curious why that previous comment was downvoted?