4 ms·

The title seems a bit odd, seeing as the hypothesis described seems to be describing a way that expanding brains can (or did) lead to higher intelligence. No,

The title seems a bit odd, seeing as the hypothesis described seems to be describing a way that expanding brains can (or did) lead to higher intelligence. No, it isn't "just scale everything up", but it still has size as a major controlling factor.

Zigurd 13y ago
There is good evidence that size is most things if not everything. We have big brains, hence we have more intelligence than chimps. We cook our food, so we don't spend all day feeding our big brains.
- ballard 13y ago
  Brain size is correlated to intelligence in humans by 0.35. Cooking food is an adaptive behavior that reduces disease and alters nutrition. It was the gradual exploitation of nature for the domestication of monocultural, industrial agriculture with supply chain processing that makes for most food modern people eat including "convenience" foods. This division of labor, whether organic farmer or pseudo-family megafarm, is what renders individual hunter-gathering a waste of time. From this over-abundance of calories and protein, it could support more robust bodies and larger brains, but it's a moot point considering obesity and the inevitability of the technological singularity.
- ballard 13y ago
  Brain size is correlated to intelligence in humans by 0.35. Cooking food is an adaptive behavior that reduces disease and alters nutrition. It was the gradual exploitation of nature for the domestication of monocultural, industrial agriculture with supply chain processing that makes for most food modern people eat including "convenience" foods. This division of labor, whether organic farmer or pseudo-family megafarm, is what renders individual hunter-gathering a waste of time. From this over-abundance of calories and protein, it could support more robust bodies and larger brains, but it's mostly a moot point considering inevitability of the technological singularity.

Zigurd 13y ago

There is good evidence that size is most things if not everything. We have big brains, hence we have more intelligence than chimps. We cook our food, so we don't spend all day feeding our big brains.

ballard 13y ago
Brain size is correlated to intelligence in humans by 0.35. Cooking food is an adaptive behavior that reduces disease and alters nutrition. It was the gradual exploitation of nature for the domestication of monocultural, industrial agriculture with supply chain processing that makes for most food modern people eat including "convenience" foods. This division of labor, whether organic farmer or pseudo-family megafarm, is what renders individual hunter-gathering a waste of time. From this over-abundance of calories and protein, it could support more robust bodies and larger brains, but it's a moot point considering obesity and the inevitability of the technological singularity.
ballard 13y ago
Brain size is correlated to intelligence in humans by 0.35. Cooking food is an adaptive behavior that reduces disease and alters nutrition. It was the gradual exploitation of nature for the domestication of monocultural, industrial agriculture with supply chain processing that makes for most food modern people eat including "convenience" foods. This division of labor, whether organic farmer or pseudo-family megafarm, is what renders individual hunter-gathering a waste of time. From this over-abundance of calories and protein, it could support more robust bodies and larger brains, but it's mostly a moot point considering inevitability of the technological singularity.