Somewhat tangential, but there is a relatively influential theory in evolutionary biology (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machiavellian_intelligence http://en.wik

Somewhat tangential, but there is a relatively influential theory in evolutionary biology (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machiavellian_intelligence http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machiavellian_intelligence) which states that high intelligence in primates and specifically humans arose as a direct consequence of living in large groups where reproductive fitness was strongly linked to social status. Living in such groups necessitated political maneuvering and caused an "arms race" of increasingly sophisticated tactics used by the group members to gain status. This theory also claims that living in such groups had a far bigger impact on the development of intelligence than toolmaking did and resulted in each of us possessing a theory of mind and being capable of introspection. What I thought was interesting is that if political decision-making is performed by an area in the brain that is completely separate from, for example, problem-solving, then this fact doesn't play very well with the above theory.