On 5/8/05, [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > In a message dated 5/2/2005 7:46:42 PM Eastern Standard Time, > [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > > > A goof point Warren, but you forget that genes aren't the *only* unit > > of inheritance- culture is also inherited. Sawyer could have just as > > well postulated a race of hominids, humanoid pre-cursors, which are > > poised just on the critical cusp of breaking into counsciousness, and > > only need an inspiration or model to make the leap themselves. One of > > them would be bound to 'get' counsciousness eventually, and by > > imitation it would spread vertically and horizontally (and would > > exterminate any groups that didn't 'get' it.) > > This substitute model has the nice side effect that the character > > expouding it could easily segue into a learned disquisition on > > historical 'wolflings' as an example- humans brought up with no > > counscious human model from which to 'get' it. > > > > Except that cultural inheritence requires a brain capable of interacting with > other brains in the society in a manner that generates culture. Culture does > exist in other species in particular chimps where means of getting food may > vary based on one member of the tribe via luck or intelligence ( a chimp > einstein or at least a chimp henry ford) comes up with a new trick. But that > is as > far as it goes. In order for consciousness to be a cultural phenomena hominds > must already have very complex brains. And brains don't come cheap. they are > expensive and time consuming to build and maintain. having a big brain means > having a big head. this requires changes in gestational strategies (humans are > born very prematurely. Based on a variety of comparitive tests human gestation > should probably be about 15 months. But the head would be too big to deliver > so > natural selection has favored early delivery of an infant that is completely > incapable of even the most rudimentary tasks of independent life. By > comparison > at birth a chimp has the same degree of maturation as a one year child. So > there has to be very strong evolutionary pressure (i.e a competitive > advantage) > for big brains capable of consciousness to evolve. The most likely advantage > is that cognition communication and memory even in their most primative forms > made hominids more successful.
I'm afraid I don't see your post's relevance- I suggested that counsciousness coulda been a random event, which would enable itself to be culturally passed down (and really enabling cultural inheritance in the first place, instead of depending on genes.). ~Maru _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
