IUBio

Dolphin brain

Tim Tillman tillman at ithink.net
Sun Jan 31 01:55:33 EST 1999


>| Natural selection does not appear to favor humans or dolphins of extreme
>| intelligence...at least there is no evidence that the mean has shifted
one
>| way or the other.  It is only sufficient that animals possess sufficient
>
>What is your basis for this statement?  Are you saying that there is no
>evidence that the average human intelligence has changed throughout
>evolutionary history?  What time scale are you thinking of, and what
>evidence is there that it hasn't changed?

I think that we as a species are egotistical to think that our
"intelligence" has greatly changed over time, particularly with the rise of
Homo sapiens and and H. neanderthalensis.  What we may see as the
"intelligence" of our species, is IMHO nothing more than an accumulation of
historical fact, amounting to a common memory.  It is from this common
memory that each generation builds.

Dolphins may possess a primitive language, this is debatable.  But, they are
not capable of remembering how to avoid the fish nets, a clear danger to the
individual and a selective vector.  I say that for this reason, it can be
believed that dolphins are not truely intelligent.  A child can tell another
child that a stove is hot.  A group of chimps in a room with knowledge of a
particular threat, can warn a newcomer.  The dolphin gets caught in the net,
undoubtably taking an easy meal.  Not intelligent.

Tim





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