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RE: Tree of LIfe: Why are we SO lazy?
Great answer. A question though. Humans have made a particular jump in certain types of thinking and an awareness of ourselves that other animals (mammals) don't share. This would seem to me to be a potential for some outside influence. An I accurate here or is every psychological attribute relatable to something else? The most obvious one being our search for why we are here and where we are going? thanks.
Depends who you ask. Many (I suppose most) would ascribe it to God separating us from the animals. In my search to write these posts, I found (and wrote very briefly in the previous episode I think?) that we were not necessarily the first and only time intelligence could have evolved, and there was a complex nervous system of sorts forming before even animals evolved.
Likewise, humans as they are now were not the only ones in recent history to develop intelligence; Neanderthals are said to perhaps show even more intelligence at the time before interbreeding themselves away into Europeans.
It's not that far-fetched to simply put intelligence down to just being one of many solutions to the environment we adapting to.
Don't forget, our ability to shape the landscape of the earth may make us think ourselves as the most successful species on earth but mites, ants, rats, even wheat have managed to dominate the planet in their own way, covering more terrain than we ever have to date.
They just didn't need the big brain we're so proud of!
But, if an outside influence were to be involved, that just extends the question to where they got their intelligence from, and that would probably be likely through a similar evolutionary process, just earlier in the Universe
And yeah I don't think anything psychological cannot be explained by the natural process of nature. Even pedophilia has its roots in biological history, and outside of society would be an acceptable norm. Our constant curiosity can easily be put down to 'neoteny' and thus a natural tendency to explore and travel the landscape learning about the world around us... it all makes sense in an infinitely complex kinda way =)
Thanks for your thoughtful replies. I can see this is a subject matter you have done much research and lots of pondering on. There was a time when I was really interested an active in learning these subjects. So busy these days that I cannot keep up. But it is great to have the back and forth. Much appreciated and keep up the great posts.
One of the few good things about being jobless - plenty of time to ponder =P