Human evolution; new anthropological erectus info (Introduction)

by David Turell , Friday, April 03, 2020, 23:00 (1693 days ago) @ dhw

dhw: How can you possibly reject the argument that nobody can know whether the first artefacts were produced by an already enlarged brain, or their design and production were the cause of the brain’s enlargement?

DAVID: I will repeat, and it is an answer to your strange theory. The earlier tinier brain does not have the abstract thinking capacity to envision a new better artifact for the future.

dhw: And I repeat: please stop trying to gloss over the fact that the initial concept arises out of EXISTING information. That means the tiny brain comes up with the initial idea of throwing a weapon, but it does not have the capacity to design and then produce the artefact, which is why the brain has to increase its capacity.

Under your weird theory, the earlier homo wishes he had a bigger brain because he wants to throw something, better than a stone, needs to design it, but can't, and his wishes force the brain to grow in size?!!

DAVID: Please look at the following extremely long article, second half of which will give you different brain sizes at different evolutionary stages and how artifacts are considered.
https://paleontology.fandom.com/wiki/Human_evolution

Sorry, I’m not prepared to accept cookies, but in any case I know there are different brain sizes, and I know that new artefacts are found with new-sized brains

I'll try elsewhere.

DAVID: I absolutely reject the idea that an earlier brain can think itself into a larger size, which is exactly what your theory gives us.

dhw: I note that you have reverted to materialism. As a dualist, do you absolutely reject the idea that the soul can influence the brain to the extent that it can change itself and even add connections?

Will you please ignore my short hand! The modern soul/brain complex only tells us about tiny enlargements

DAVID: It is wishful thinking to get around the question of speciation among early homos, hoping it gets around God doing it. Your anticipated answer to keep you on the fence: God let the do it themselves is your way of staying agnostic. For us theists, it is God-lite, a poor excuse of a purposeful God who know full well what He is doing, as He made the universe, the perfect Earth and life quite efficiently all by Himself. This is a discussion between a theist and an agnostic. On that basis I feel God speciates.

dhw: That is no basis at all, and is a very poor reason for rejecting arguments that question the logic of your very personal view of God’s purposes and methods. It is also a poor reason for rejecting alternative views of a God whose purposes and methods and thoughts and reasons and nature and logic by your admission cannot be known. Do you honestly believe that every theist accepts your version of evolution and your explanation of brain expansion?

i have no idea, but the ID folks are with me.

dhw: I describe a different theory than the theory you have faith in. Mine is extrapolated from known facts (the way the modern brain functions) and you apparently have no facts at all to support your own.

DAVID: Your theory ignores all the considerations I give you, all factual. The bold seems to indicate I don't know how to think about the facts I have presented.

dhw: The only fact you have presented is that new artefacts are found alongside new brains. This does not in any way contradict my theory, as I keep explaining, since it is the FIRST artefacts each time that would have driven the expansion. Now please tell me what logic and what facts support your theory that your God preprogrammed or dabbled each expansion BEFORE your dualist’s soul could come up with a new idea which did not require any new information?

Same weird tale: wishing for some new complex abstract design hard enough grows a bigger brain which then designs it!