Evolution and humans: all over Africa (Evolution)

by dhw, Sunday, May 06, 2018, 12:06 (2183 days ago) @ David Turell

dhw: If my hypothesis is correct, the artefacts would have appeared at the time when the new species appeared (it was their implementation that triggered the new sized brain). Unfortunately, your only evidence against this seems to be that you don’t think it’s right.
DAVID: I don't think you are right for reasons I've given in the past that you constantly slide by. We have risen above animals in the way our brain works. In vision, hearing and general motor activity our brain operates just like apes. We do have better hand manipulation and shoulder movement. Those portions of the brain which we both have that control vision, hearing, general movement, etc., did not enlarge as hominin species advanced in thought ability. The advance in brain size were specifically almost entirely the frontal and pre-frontal cortex, which is where intelligence and emotions are specifically handled.

All agreed until the last sentence concerning compartmentalization, which is thrown into question by the research you quoted under “fMRO: a very critical review again": “…you see activity in a brain region and assign it a specific function. But it’s completely wrong. Multiple functions are subsumed by multiple areas, which are handled by cognitive networks. It’s very complicated.” This is why I prefer to talk of the brain in general, but it may well be that the pfc is the control centre where conceptualization takes place and which sends out instructions to the rest of the brain. If so, it is perfectly reasonable to suppose that the dualist’s “soul” will expand its set of material controls as it sends out its new instructions, rather than its material controls expanding before it has even thought of any new instructions to send out.

DAVID: The concept of the spear developed in a pfc complex enough to think of it.

Once again you have the brain (pfc) doing the thinking. Pure materialism. (Fine with me, but you keep forgetting that you are a dualist.)

DAVID: Making the spear was done by the other parts of the brain that are similar in size in apes and us. Implementation does not enlarge a brain. Ability to have more complex thought can only come from a more complex thinking area for the s/s/c to use.

“Thinking area”? We’re talking of expansion here. Are you saying that your immaterial piece of God’s consciousness has to have more space in order to do more thinking? That simply makes no sense! If your immaterial piece of God’s consciousness does not have enough materials to give material expression/implementation to its immaterial thoughts, then it needs additional materials. Hence expansion.

DAVID: Logical thought is a series of conclusions based on the initial starting points being accepted. I don't agree at all with your initial proposals as to why the brain grew. But if accepted you have proceeded logically.

dhw: Please tell us what current studies support the hypothesis that the brain changes BEFORE it has the concepts that require brain change for their implementation. Reminder: the starting point is: what caused pre-sapiens' brain expansion?

DAVID: The changes in the anatomy of the brain makes my approach quite clear. Both apes and we have all the parts of the brain that provide for survival living. The only difference is the huge frontal lobes our s/s/c thinks with. The implementation parts have been here all along and barely changed in six million years. You cannot deny the anatomic evidence. I think God speciates is why it all happened.

I’m glad you’ve dropped the starting point argument. I’m sorry you have not been able to tell us of any current studies that support your hypothesis that the brain changes before it has the concepts that require it to change. I have offered my explanation for the pfc expansion. Your God could speciate by designing a brain that thinks for itself and is plastic enough to engineer its own changes.