Our server costs ~$56 per month to run. Please consider donating or becoming a Patron to help keep the site running. Help us gain new members by following us on Twitter and liking our page on Facebook!
Current time: January 18, 2025, 10:38 pm

Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Permanent omnipotence?
#51
RE: Permanent omnipotence?
And surely our considerably bigger brain size would have had something to do with that. I doubt that that's just neutral genes. It could have just been a coincidence but it would have to be a pretty big one. It seems much more likely to me that natural selection favored a bigger brain in our case.
Reply
#52
RE: Permanent omnipotence?
Probably not DvF. On topic:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLHh9E5il...plpp_video

How many of people can singlehandedly create a computer mouse?
Reply
#53
RE: Permanent omnipotence?
There are some pretty compelling arguments that the big brain was a side effect, not the focus. Up until a point anyway. Perhaps think of the abstract concepts we are capable of manufacturing as a secondary use of a structure "designed" for something else? The focus on the wetware came after our abilty to use our hands, or walk upright, for example, and a bigger brain facilitates both of these things. A quadraped with a big brain doesn't get much done, for example.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
Reply
#54
RE: Permanent omnipotence?
Interesting.

Would you say that the use of our hands is more important evolutionary-wise than our brain?

I thought that to use our hands more intelligently requires better brains.
Reply
#55
RE: Permanent omnipotence?
Better brains than australopithicines, but not better brains than ourselves, apparently. I'd say that the use of our hands is a bigger step up, as far as a single step, than the incremental increases that we have seen in our brains, yes. How many creatures use their hands? Now how many creatures use their brains? lol.

Using hands "more intelligently" is a small thing compared to "being able to use your hands vs not using your hands". Suppose an antelope thought up a machine that could fly...how would it build it?

(it's a strange but fun tangent...and i want to note at this point how many examples we have of how being smart (or any successful adaptation really) leads to usefulness....how that leads to "truthfulness" is a little sketchier")

As another fun aside, the use of our hands may have directly encouraged and facilitated the development of our brains, brains are expensive..and hands can get you much better nutrition (but as you've said, better brain, better use of hands...it's a not-so-vicious circle, a sort of feedback loop..theoretically).
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
Reply
#56
RE: Permanent omnipotence?
Robert Winston has said that most of our brain is used for facial recognition or something to that effect. I guess that to be able to distinguish many individual faces apart even when they are very similar must take a lot of brain power.

It is an interesting subject, certainly. I really do wonder how important intelligence is for us evolutionary-wise. I'm aware it's not important for most species.

But then again... maybe it is? There are degrees of intelligence. Even the reptilian brain alone is beneficial for survival.
Reply
#57
RE: Permanent omnipotence?
(November 11, 2012 at 5:42 pm)Rhythm Wrote: Suppose an antelope thought up a machine that could fly...how would it build it?

Human slaves. Durr.
Reply
#58
RE: Permanent omnipotence?
So, I'm trying to think of some "truths" that would be required for our survival, something that ns could really operate on as an end product of our cognitive abilities. But it's hard to think of any that doesn't get expressed in species with little to no cognitive ability.

First I was thinking "I am mortal" (and all the implications of harm that follow)...but then of course we don't see many organisms marching to their deaths regardless of how big their brains are. How about you, what do you think might be a "truth" that we must cognitively recognize to survive (not as an individual mind you, as a species)?

(I'm personally of the opinion that a mind that could recognize what is useful could also (in some cases) determine what is true. Not that truth or accuracy was a selective factor, but an indirect gain)
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
Reply
#59
RE: Permanent omnipotence?
I still think that logic can be useful. It would surely help us work together and co-operate. Organize ourselves and each other, etc. And logic can be useful for aiding cunning and sly selfish manipulation too, I'm sure.

Surely more intelligence=more rationality? And surely more rationality=less foolish mistakes=less deaths or injuries that hinder reproduction.
Reply
#60
RE: Permanent omnipotence?
Couldn't more intelligence just as easily lead to more thorough self delusion?

I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
Reply



Possibly Related Threads...
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  The logical consequences of omnipotence Esquilax 326 161020 February 9, 2013 at 6:54 pm
Last Post: Darkstar
  Musings about omnipotence and perfection. Edwardo Piet 59 18635 February 17, 2011 at 9:00 am
Last Post: reverendjeremiah



Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)