5 ms·
if you look at all those groups you can kind of see what each lacks compared to humans to get runaway intelligence benefits that basically create a continuous s
by ren_engineer 4y ago
if you look at all those groups you can kind of see what each lacks compared to humans to get runaway intelligence benefits that basically create a continuous selective effect for more intelligence.
humans have a solid combination of dexterity, life span, and verbal communication. Dexterity allows for manipulation that allows intelligence to be used to maximum effect in an environment, life span allows for time to learn and share knowledge, and verbal communication allows to share knowledge effectively which allows group work and knowledge to pass through generations.
crows and elephants seem to be the most limited by lack of dexterity, crows actually try to use tools to get around the limitation. If Elephants had some octopus style multi-trunk tentacles that could be used like hands they'd be set I think
- bmitc 4y agoI am not convinced dexterity has much to do with intelligence. It is more an enabler of technology development and not raw intelligence.
- shmageggy 4y agoThe idea is that the ability to create technology creates an evolutionary gradient whereby increased intelligence yields better tools yields increased survivability
- bmitc 4y ago> increased intelligence Is there a source for that? Because I think you mean knowledge there and not intelligence. I'm not aware of anything that says modern humans are any more intelligent than the oldest archaic humans (homo sapiens). Modern humans just have more accumulated technology and knowledge, something very distinct from intelligence.
- shmageggy 4y agoHumans started using tools over 2.5 million years ago, and that’s also when brain size stared to steadily increase.