Our ancestors used better brain power to be better hunters, root diggers, shelter builders, fruit pickers and whatever. Some better than others. Don't you think mate selection along these lines would have occurred?
Not at all.
Until the classical periods, I really don't see the higher forms of our intellect coming into play at all. Even the most average (great wording, I know) person would be more than capable of hunting, trapping, building shelter, etc. These things don't take much brain power, all they take is learning. Once you understand it, you can teach it to everyone, so everyone can take advantage of it.
Look at what the average human can do today as far as, say, math goes. I can perform nearly any tasks the ancient Greek or Arabian mathemeticians could, and can even show you for the most part how they arrived at them. Their intellect manifested in the sense of putting things together first, but it granted them not actual benefit, as once the one of them figured it out, it belonged to the entire human race.
To skip back a bit:
Depends on how you define intelligence. I define it as something along the lines of mental ability leading to success in the prevailing environment.
Intelligence is a funny thing. I don't think it's quite possible to give a definition that narrow. There is no question that the more capable people lived longer, but were those more capable people more intelligent by the standards we hold right now? I am firmly of the opinion that we did our evolving 150,000 years ago, and our evolution since then has been largely superficial changes to deal with weather.
How in the world can you be sure that intelligence wasn't a selected trait? The one trait where humans excel wasn't a survival trait?
Because after you get to human level intelligence, you don't need to go further to survive on this earth.
Here's a question that I have never heard an answer too:
How does Joe-Primitive Man know who is intelligent, and who is not? By what standards does he use?
The man who catches the most meat isn't necessarily the man who is most intelligent. What one lacks in intellect, one can make up for in physical strength, ability to work in a group, ability to give commands, ability to take commands, ability to learn, etc, etc. I have a hard time thinking of a situation where a comparison of intellects would ever take place. The thing is, we are more intelligent than we need to be.
You must be joking. The ability to make tools, the ability to make better tools, the ability to plan, the ability to communicate detailed information, the ability to imagine, etc, etc, aren't signs of intelligence? Of course they are and they are also survival traits.
All of these things can be done by a mediocre human intellect.
Again, how being more intelligent than average be of any practical benefit?
Of course the differences came about for specific reasons. So what? BTW, "Africans" don't all have long legs (see Pygmy).
What -reason- would a European or Asian need to be more intelligent than an African?
Also, the pygmy's would fall under the category "exception" and not "rule" It would take too long to be too specific.
Bollocks. Intelligence has been at play since the beginning of human evolution.
Our intelligence likely came about as a means to use our hands. Once we were done evolving, we stopped. I don't believe I have ever seen evidence supporting the idea that we aren't almost exact duplicates of humans living 150,000 years ago. Perhaps in time, we'll need to get smarter to keep up with the ideas that come forth out of our brains, but there are very few concepts we have NOW that the average person can't understand given enough time, much less simple things such as tools and traps and communication.
Also, for the record, it is believed that Females developed better communication skills, and probably developed them first.
LucyR:
It was a very tongue in cheek comment. The people at stormfront seem to think only of actual skin colour when speaking about their own racism.
Hammy wrote:
Other than "you", I strongly suspect you can't back up that assertion.
Find me some reliable evidence stating that a white person is more intelligent then a black person, or whatever racist position you happen to hold. If my position is NOT correct, that evidence will exist, as humans will have bred using intelligence as a factor.
If I am correct, then all people of all "races" will have the same average intelligence level. This seems to be played out, given the ready ability of people from all "races" to hold jobs requiring consistent application of their intellect. Of course, this disregards cultural bias, something I am sure you are a fan of.
Ta.
Edit-
Perhaps I should have stated that I am of the opinion that we contain many different intelligences, such as interpersonal, intrapersonal, artistic, logical, etc. One can be deficient in one, or most, and make up for it with strength in another. A stupid person can still be brilliant in some respect, to wit, an idiot savant. However, that person would still be considered to posess a low intelligence.
