Brain expansion: different theories about rapid expansion (Evolution)

by David Turell , Saturday, September 26, 2020, 19:51 (1302 days ago) @ dhw

DAVID: Blithely stating 'adding new cells in response to new requirements' while ignoring that the only cells we can add are to help the hippocampus with memory storage, i.e., is twisting what we know to aid you theory. Our oversized brain added cells to heavily used areas as it shrunk.

dhw: The hippocampus proves that the brain can add cells where needed. That is not twisting anything. It is evidence of the feasibility of the argument that earlier expansions entailed adding cells where needed.

Again expanding a limited purposeful expansion in one specific region to expanding everywhere, to follow your wishes and avoid the factual limits. You can imagine anything you wish. Proves nothing with any degree of foundation..

DAVID: I'm exactly on point as you twist facts to fit our natural theory. OUR brains do 'reorganize' using the extra cells they started with.

dhw: Yes, that is the current complexification, i.e. post-expansion. Our subject is why the pre-sapiens brain and other brains expanded, i.e. added to their quantity of cells.

I'm still with God designing our big brain. You are looking to explain why our brains grew so big naturally.

DAVID: What haven't I proven. please deal only with what we know and then theorize if you wish.

dhw: That is precisely what I have done. We know that approx. 315,000 years ago the brain expanded. We know that the modern brain changes in response to new requirements. We know that it has stopped expanding and complexification has taken over. We know that it shrunk, and we agree that this was because of the efficiency of complexification, which made certain cells redundant. However, we know that the hippocampus produced additional cells, and it is reasonable to assume that these were required. You have agreed that this process would have taken place without your God’s intervention. Out of these facts and your own agreements, I theorize that in the days when brains and skulls expanded, cells were added to other parts of the brain when needed, and this happened in the same way and for the same reason as cells are added to the hippocampus. Meanwhile, you have no answer to my bold:

DAVID: Of course I couldn't answer your bold. God enlarges and prepares each new stage for new mental developments. The last part of the bold is a truism. Our brain does respond to new requirements. It was set up to do so by God.

dhw: So if our brain responds to new requirements, why do you insist that earlier brains changed BEFORE there were any new requirements? What happened to: “please deal with what we know and then theorize if you wish”? But yes, I would say that ALL brains respond(ed) to new requirements, and if God exists, then of course he set them up to do so. He would have invented the mechanism that gave them this ability! No further involvement required. Why is this not feasible?

You try to slip a possible God into the discussion to maintain your balance on the picket fence. You see God as 'possible', while I see God as most 'probable', based on the design argument, the same argument that keeps you agnostic. From my viewpoint, a designer would prepare a brain for the new requirements. You ignore our brain's stasis period which is a bold fact. Our brain was huge 315,000 years ago and little was done with it, very obvious evidence of being provided a brain for future use. The personality of your supposed God builds self-designing mechanisms knowing errors can happen. My God is in tight control of evolutionary advances to achieve the exact results He wants, even to bad viruses and bacteria, which for some unknown reason to us, He wants.