Brain complexity: learning new tasks (Introduction)

by David Turell , Sunday, December 24, 2017, 18:48 (2526 days ago) @ dhw

dhw: You have left out the rest of my paragraph. My point is that instead of saying the brain enlarged/complexified, you are saying the pre-frontal cortex enlarged/complexified. It makes no difference to the argument! You say your God enlarged the pre-sapiens cortex BEFORE pre-sapiens could come up with his new concepts, and I propose the cortex enlarged through the implementation of new concepts.

The only evidence we have before us is the complexity that developed in illiterate women learning to read. That is implementation. The other fact we know is the modern sapiens brain is smaller as we civilized. And even though the human brain arrived 300,000 years ago, real civilized use of the brain began only 10,000 years ago and it is now a little smaller! We make tremendous use of the brain frontal lobe now. That is where the thought development and knowledge occurred.

dhw: You are quite right to say that the final enlargement (which in my hypothesis would have been the RESULT of implementing earlier concepts) preceded all the “civilized” concepts we have now, because by then the brain had stopped expanding and complexification had taken over.

Agree. complexity had to appear to keep the skull a reasonable size.

dhw: And since you are a self-proclaimed dualist, the pre-frontal cortex for you is NOT the source of thought/conceptualization/decision-making: it can therefore only be a provider of information and an implementing tool of the soul/self/consciousness.
DAVID: It acts as advanced computer for the s/s/c. I view the brain as an instrument.

dhw: Of course you do, since you believe there is a soul that directs it, but in any case I agree that consciousness, whatever its source, uses the brain as an instrument. And that is why it makes no sense to argue that the s/s/c is unable to conceive its concepts until AFTER the brain has developed the means to implement the non-existent concept. Modern science proves that the brain REACTS to new concepts and it does not change in anticipation of them.

But all of the modern use of the brain came after the final enlargement of the pre-frontal lobes, not before. We do not know of a mental requirement that forced the final enlargement 300,000 years ago.

DAVID: Does not explain our modern artifacts appearing 290,000 years after our larger brain arrived and had not realized any of our civilized concepts now currently filling libraries of books and computer records.

dhw: Once again: the larger brain “arrived” and could not expand any more, so complexification took over. You have agreed that advances depend on individual intelligences. Approx. 10,000 years ago a few geniuses introduced highly productive new concepts, and these were then built on by subsequent generations. 290,000 years is nothing in evolutionary terms: erectus hung around for well over a million years without making much progress. And you continue to gloss over the fact that changes are CAUSED by implementation and do not occur before it.

Can you point out any complex implementations that occurred among humans before cave art 30,000 ywears ago? We had shelter, fire, hide clothing. Then really nothing more until 10,000 years ago. Size first, use second is so obvious.