3 ms·

True, but I mean vast differences on the sapient being scale. What if a human subspecies was otherwise the same as us but had the life expectancy of a chimp, a

True, but I mean vast differences on the sapient being scale. What if a human subspecies was otherwise the same as us but had the life expectancy of a chimp, about forty years at best? What if the difference was as small as a thirty point difference in IQ?

cdirkx 7y ago
Thirty points is about the difference between humans and chimps/gorillas/orangutan. (around 70 IQ I think, but sources are very much in disagreement on this, claiming it's more around 25-50 [1]. Taking tests on animals is hard) Last I checked they were all in the "critically endangered" category [2]. [1] https://www.quora.com/Using-human-standards-what-would-be-the-approximate-IQ-of-a-chimpanzee https://www.quora.com/Using-human-standards-what-would-be-th... [2] https://www.iucnredlist.org/ https://www.iucnredlist.org/
catalogia 7y ago
I'm not sure if you tried this, but your hypothetical is quite close to a real category of people. Young adults with down syndrome (a chromosomal disorder) have an average IQ of 50 and in developed countries typically live to only 50-60. They used to be treated very poorly, sometimes exceedingly poorly. In the modern era they are generally treated with more respect than they were historically, despite almost everybody having lower expectations of them.
- CuriouslyC 7y ago
  While people will take this as a sign of progress, I think realistically people with downs or other significant handicaps were a much greater burden on society in the past, and I think our current attitude of acceptance has more to do with our increased ability to care for such people. As cruel as it seems to us now, if you're struggling to survive and there's no social safety net, infanticide or child abandonment start to become much more attractive options in comparison with being burdened by taking care of a dysfunctional human for the rest of your life.

cdirkx 7y ago

Thirty points is about the difference between humans and chimps/gorillas/orangutan. (around 70 IQ I think, but sources are very much in disagreement on this, claiming it's more around 25-50 [1]. Taking tests on animals is hard) Last I checked they were all in the "critically endangered" category [2]. [1] https://www.quora.com/Using-human-standards-what-would-be-the-approximate-IQ-of-a-chimpanzee https://www.quora.com/Using-human-standards-what-would-be-th... [2] https://www.iucnredlist.org/ https://www.iucnredlist.org/

catalogia 7y ago

I'm not sure if you tried this, but your hypothetical is quite close to a real category of people. Young adults with down syndrome (a chromosomal disorder) have an average IQ of 50 and in developed countries typically live to only 50-60. They used to be treated very poorly, sometimes exceedingly poorly. In the modern era they are generally treated with more respect than they were historically, despite almost everybody having lower expectations of them.

CuriouslyC 7y ago
While people will take this as a sign of progress, I think realistically people with downs or other significant handicaps were a much greater burden on society in the past, and I think our current attitude of acceptance has more to do with our increased ability to care for such people. As cruel as it seems to us now, if you're struggling to survive and there's no social safety net, infanticide or child abandonment start to become much more attractive options in comparison with being burdened by taking care of a dysfunctional human for the rest of your life.