As a board certified neurologist who graduated college magna cum laude with a degree in mathematics,* I present the best evidence for divine creation – the human brain. The advanced development of the human brain is not an evolutionary advantage!
1). To survive as a species you need to reach adulthood (strength, speed and size) and then adequately reproduce. In almost all human societies on this planet, the more educated and the wealthier you are (i.e., the smarter you are), the less children you have.
i.e., Bill Gates, Bill Clinton, Noam Chomsky and Neil DeGrasse Tyson have two or less children - genetically unfit according to Darwin.
2). To agree with evolutionary theory, we accept that human beings are essentially cro-magnon people. When the Australian colonists abducted aborigine infants in the 18th century, they were able to educate them as well as their own children up until about 7th grade (i.e., puberty). The Australian aborigine had previously been isolated from other human contact about 30,000 years, yet still had the capacity to perform calculus and write prose. Up until about 2,000 years ago those talents had no application to survival; therefore, they should have atrophied over numerous generations (i.e., become vestigial) according to evolutionary theory.
3). The human brain consumes about 20% of your daily caloric requirements. There is no evolutionary advantage for an essentially hairless ape to read, write, perform calculus, appreciate music, gaze at the stars and/or engage in numerous other uniquely human intellectual pursuits. Evolutionarily, those calories could have been better expended on speed, muscle mass or reproduction. In the pre-gunpowder era, equal numbers of wolves (speed and strength) versus humans (intellect) has a very predictable outcome.
4). The extreme complexity of the brain requires a prolonged time period for attaining complete maturity. This creates a severe liability on the parents who have to divert a tremendous amount of resources to their progeny for a prolonged period of time. A less developed brain would yield faster maturity thereby freeing resources to the parents which could be directed towards their own survival; migration, development growth or for production of further progeny. Taking 14 – 18 years to reach physical maturity and 20 – 25 years to reach complete intellectual capacity is not a recipe for human survival or evolutionary fitness; however, rapid rates of maturity and reproduction are proven evolutionary strategies (i.e., insects and rodents).
* I understand that credentials do not always equal correctness, but these provide a foundation and insight for my observations. Successful argumentation stands on its own merits. For purposes of brevity, I have left out numerous examples to illustrate these four points. I do deny reasonable aspects of evolutionary theory (scales to feathers to hair or fin to talon), but I am stating that evolutionary theory does not explain the tremendous complexity, capacity and wonder of the human brain that has just recently, evolutionarily speaking, been harnessed. I am not endorsing a particular belief, faith or religion on this post – that is your personal choice, an act of your free will.
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I am not endorsing a particular belief, faith or religion in reply to this post and am restating points to show how evolution can indeed be considered to have been at the root of our development as a species.
ReplyDelete1). In almost all human societies on this planet, the more educated and the wealthier you are (i.e., the smarter you are), the less children you have because society and the economic situation has advanced to such a point that academic and intellectual pursuits have allowed for a greater possibility of a limited number of offspring to survive to themselves be successful and reproduce along with being able to care for elderly parents or maintain a society that can so care for eldertly parents.
2). To agree with evolutionary theory, we accept that human beings are essentially cro-magnon people. The properties of the human mind that support complex communication, pattern recognition, concentration, detailed memory, and the ability to plan ahead are likely the same characteristics that allow the biological cro-magnon to learn more precise and refined skills that add greatly to personal capabilities and thus survival and prosperity of the species.
3). There is an evolutionary advantage for an essentially hairless ape to read, write, perform calculus, appreciate music, gaze at the stars as an extension of basic mental capabilities that have allowed humanity to spread as no other species has across the earth and into a diverse range limited by only the most absolutely extreme of environments (for now). In the pre-gunpowder era, equal numbers of wolves (speed and strength) versus humans (intellect) has a very predictable outcome and that is success for humans as the intellect provided them the means to recognize danger, plan for it, and to react in meaningful fashion as man learned to master fire and to make weapons that exceeded his frail limitations long before the development of gun powder (let’s not forget wolf joined man at the fire and became dog).
4). The extreme complexity of the brain requires a prolonged time period for attaining complete maturity. This creates a seeming liability on the parents who have to divert a tremendous amount of resources to their progeny for a prolonged period of time. While a less developed brain would yield faster maturity thereby freeing resources to the parents which could be directed towards their own survival; migration, development growth or for production of further progeny the prolonged physcial and mental development of members of our species enforces multi generational families as a path to success. We are able to reproduce long before we are fully intellectually developed and this creates a situation where the offspring of offspring remain reliant upon the knowledge and leadership of the parents of parents (at least traditionally before modern economic structures developed). The extended family of humanity produced an environment for retention of knowledge and education that has grown into the modern world.
Thank you JD. You presented a rational argument that disagrees without resulting to obscenity, personal attacks or straw man arguments. I acknoweldge your points and allow the reader to decide for themselves. I give you respect for your intellect and masculinity (prior SCA heavy?)
DeleteThe human brain/soul does not assist in reproduction, has non-Darwinian talents, is extremely expensive calorically, and the brain does not fully develop until well after median life expectancy of most humans.
According to The Great Courses lecture series
on The Middle Ages by
Prof. Phillip Daileader
of William and Mary University:
In the high middle ages, mortality from disease was high; 25% in infancy, then again, another 25% by twelve years of age. War, conflict, accidents and criminal violence were relatively common, further reducing expected male life expectancy to the mid-thirties.
Thanks Clovis, It is certainny possible to disagree and even argue on the internet without beinng ridiculous and I'm glad you posted your original post as you did.
DeleteI think the notion of non-darwiian traits in our minds is from the tendency in biology to reduce organism into fairly discreet systems but despite our claims to freedom and individualism humans are a very social beings and the minds we have make that possible. Without the biology we could not have the society we do.
THe midddle ages were grim indeed but the family was there to support the individual. Man is of his family, villlage, tribe, and nation in a manner no other animal has achieved and it s those caloricaly expensive brains that make it possiblle. Social eveolutionn of the past few hundred years has been amazing and empowere by our minds and wealth.
The same cro-magnon mind that can recall the habits of all the nearby animals, the places for the choicest plant growth, and where waterholes are (or were decades ago) has built a merging global society that decades ago navigated a vessel to the moon and back.
That biologically expensive mind surely has limits but has allowed us to do things no other animal has.
In gaming/ RPG terms ;
ReplyDeleteHumanity has a unique dualistic brain capacity that allows them to pursue scientific and rational disciplines while still maintaining a healthy appreciation of the fantastic, magical or paranormal (i.e., engineer by day - occultist by night) Although not as fully or equally developed in all people, this distinction of mankind’s neuroanatomy allows humans characters to excel at almost any character class.