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If there were a simple algorithm for intelligence, and assuming the presence of intelligence confers a competitive advantage, then why wouldn't natural selectio

If there were a simple algorithm for intelligence, and assuming the presence of intelligence confers a competitive advantage, then why wouldn't natural selection have created many examples of it by now, after some billion years of multicellular life? Yet it hasn't. In fact intelligence manifests rarely in nature and only in long lived species with big complex brains which spend years educating their young to develop their cognitive skills. This implies that intelligence requires both a nontrivial nervous system and substantial nurturing thereof. Ergo, I conclude that intelligence itself is inherently complex and unlikely to arise simply or spontaneously.

mpdehaan2 11y ago
Every animal is intelligent. Using the google dictionary definition, "the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills." What they are are intelligent about varies, and the assumption that intelligence arises rarely is dangerous to ecological and environmental decision making. Rather, we don't know how to communicate with animals well and we don't think the same ways. http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100909/full/news.2010.458.html http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100909/full/news.2010.458.ht... http://scienceblogs.com/mixingmemory/2007/08/17/metatool-use-and-analogical-re/ http://scienceblogs.com/mixingmemory/2007/08/17/metatool-use... http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/running-ponies/catch-the-wave-decoding-the-prairie-doge28099s-contagious-jump-yips/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/running-ponies/catch-the... http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2015/05/dolphin-intelligence/foer-text http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2015/05/dolphin-intelligen...
netheril96 11y ago
> If there were a simple algorithm for intelligence, and assuming the presence of intelligence confers a competitive advantage, then why wouldn't natural selection have created many examples of it by now, after some billion years of multicellular life? A reasonable hypothesis would be that intelligence comes with high cost, such as high energy consumption, high heat production, longer period of infant stage, adaptation of body parts that will reduce their strength and interfere with their functionality, etc. All those negative effects more than offset the benefit of higher intelligence in the short term. Because natural selection does not plan but only pushes evolution toward local maximum points, most organism never evolves high intelligence.
gnaritas 11y ago
> then why wouldn't natural selection have created many examples of it by now, after some billion years of multicellular life? Yet it hasn't. It has, all animals display intelligence; I think you need to update your definition of the word, you're using it as if only humans have it and we haven't believed that in a very long time.

mpdehaan2 11y ago

Every animal is intelligent. Using the google dictionary definition, "the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills." What they are are intelligent about varies, and the assumption that intelligence arises rarely is dangerous to ecological and environmental decision making. Rather, we don't know how to communicate with animals well and we don't think the same ways. http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100909/full/news.2010.458.html http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100909/full/news.2010.458.ht... http://scienceblogs.com/mixingmemory/2007/08/17/metatool-use-and-analogical-re/ http://scienceblogs.com/mixingmemory/2007/08/17/metatool-use... http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/running-ponies/catch-the-wave-decoding-the-prairie-doge28099s-contagious-jump-yips/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/running-ponies/catch-the... http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2015/05/dolphin-intelligence/foer-text http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2015/05/dolphin-intelligen...

netheril96 11y ago

> If there were a simple algorithm for intelligence, and assuming the presence of intelligence confers a competitive advantage, then why wouldn't natural selection have created many examples of it by now, after some billion years of multicellular life? A reasonable hypothesis would be that intelligence comes with high cost, such as high energy consumption, high heat production, longer period of infant stage, adaptation of body parts that will reduce their strength and interfere with their functionality, etc. All those negative effects more than offset the benefit of higher intelligence in the short term. Because natural selection does not plan but only pushes evolution toward local maximum points, most organism never evolves high intelligence.

gnaritas 11y ago

> then why wouldn't natural selection have created many examples of it by now, after some billion years of multicellular life? Yet it hasn't. It has, all animals display intelligence; I think you need to update your definition of the word, you're using it as if only humans have it and we haven't believed that in a very long time.