ericmurphy

So you doubt the connection between brain size/body mass and intelligence? But you don't doubt that humans could have lived for ten centuries. Riiiight.

How humans got big brains is not the issue. The issue is, where is your evidence that humans ever lived much longer than three-score years and ten?

And this is evidence that humans once lived ten times as long as they do now? I think you've skipped a few steps in your logic, hoss.

ericmurphy

Logic according to Elijah:

1. Humans are smarter than most animals;
2. Humans live longer than most animals;




then way down here we have






N. Humans must once have lived far longer than they do now.


Can you fit some logic in somewhere between "2" and "N," Elijah? Because it appears to be missing.

Elijah

Learning takes time... developing the ability physically to learn takes more time. There is a huge difference between us and the intelligence of the nearest animal... and I mean huge. (from my perspective) The one and only explanation I have heard (that made sense) is that we lived much longer at a period in our history to account for the huge mental jump.

Random mutations of genes generating these complicated effects sounds like junk science to me, or at lease incomplete.

ericmurphy

This is completely skirting the issue. How long do modern humans live, Elijah? Three-score years and ten, if they're lucky, right? Clearly it's not necessary to live for hundreds of years to become intelligent. Otherwise, there would be evidence that ancient humans were vastly more intelligent than modern humans. There is no such evidence.

Therefore, the intelligence of humans is in no way evidence that ante-diluvian humans lived for hundreds of years, is it?

Your opinion on the subject is worthless as evidence of anything, but even if it were, whether mutations are a credible explanation for human intelligence is irrelevant to your argument that extremely long lives thousands of years ago is a credible explanation for the same thing.

The Evil One

BIG. BRAIN.

It's right over your nose, for crying out loud.

ETA: you know what, sod this for a lark. afdave's epistemology may be all shot to buggery fuck, but at least with him communication is possible. Whereas this conversation ...... dearie me! to remove temptation to participate in the inevitable derail I'm sticking Elijah on ignore.

Elijah

You seen Idiocracy? Good movie.

Well the information we have collected as a whole may have grown the intelligence of the modern man as an individual is totally up for debate. People believe what they are told and nothing more.

It's not evidence but it is a workable explanation.

Elijah

I'm just guessing but you think a big brain led to our intelligence right? I think our intelligence or mental use is what led to the big brain. Same idea just backwards.

What you use grows, what you don't atrophies away.

deadman_932

This explains a great deal about your posts.

ericmurphy

Not. Not a workable explanation. You think ancient humans living for centuries is the explanation for why modern humans are smart.

Sorry, but that's beyond stupid.

ericmurphy

So being intelligent made modern humans have big brains. Sorry, but this is beyond stupid, too.