Why are humans (Homo sapiens) so smart?

How did we get so smart, especially in comparison to other animals? If intelligence is such a good survival advantage, why don't most animals have it?

Well I think our intelligence only seems so incredible compared to other animals because the other species of humans are no longer around. If we could somehow view every other animal that has ever lived the progression in levels of intelligence would appear much more fluid. I would argue that the reason other species of humans are no longer around might be the same reason we don't see other genera with intelligence levels similar to ours, namely, the ecological niche of intelligence can ultimately only be filled by one species.

Edited by tongues, 22 February 2012 - 10:32 PM.

social consciousness + short gestation period?

Well I think our intelligence only seems so incredible compared to other animals because the other species of humans are no longer around. If we could somehow view every other animal that has ever lived the levels of intelligence would appear much more fluid. I would argue that the reason other species of humans are no longer around might be the same reason we don't see other genera with intelligence levels similar to ours, namely, the ecological niche of intelligence can ultimately only be filled by one species.

This.

Well I think our intelligence only seems so incredible compared to other animals because the other species of humans are no longer around. If we could somehow view every other animal that has ever lived the levels of intelligence would appear much more fluid. I would argue that the reason other species of humans are no longer around might be the same reason we don't see other genera with intelligence levels similar to ours, namely, the ecological niche of intelligence can ultimately only be filled by one species.

If there was ever any species as smart as us why don't we find remains of buildings from a million years ago, I think its safe to say that humans are the smartest yet.

If there was ever any species as smart as us why don't we find remains of buildings from a million years ago, I think its safe to say that humans are the smartest yet.

When did I say there has been a species as intelligent as we are?

When did I say there has been a species as intelligent as we are?

you said the levels of inteligence would be more fluid, I thought you meant over the history of earth there wouldve been other species that were at least almost as intelligent as us, instead of the big gap between humans and animals today and that the ecological niche of intelligence would have been occupied by some other species before humans existed.

Edited by vespathug, 22 February 2012 - 09:52 PM.

Intelligence has not been a factor in survival, ever.

Intelligence is a luxury, and in our part a mistake.

Our intelligence is going to end mankind.

you said the levels of inteligence would be more fluid, I thought you meant over the history of earth there wouldve been other species that were at least almost as intelligent as us, instead of the big gap between humans and animals today.

The progression from single-celled organisms to sentient, self-aware animals has been gradual and the only reason there seems to be such large gaps in the continuum of intelligence is because the "intermediate forms" no longer exist. There were other species of humans that existed like homo habilis, homo ergaster, homo floresiensis etc. that had comparable intelligence to homo sapiens and if those species were alive today the progression from a chimpanzee's intelligence to our own would appear more fluid and gradual.

And I'm not saying that the ecological niche for intelligence has always been filled throughout the history of life on Earth as a niche can exist without an organism to fill it. I'm just saying that it can only ultimately be filled by one species.

Edited by tongues, 22 February 2012 - 10:14 PM.

Are people really that intelligent, or do humans just have the capacity to be intelligent? Because last time I checked, there are a lot of fucking morons roaming the earth.

I think it has do with A. our genetic structure and B. certain "foods" and other environmental factors that caused our nervous system to blossom into the amazing network it is today.

Just to clarify a little, I meant our genetic structures interaction with said "foods"/herbs and it's environment so a little A mixed with B.

I think it mainly has to do with out hands.. Our hands allowed us to experience more. It started off basic, but soon we were able to do whatever we wanted. We weren't limited by the tools nature provided us.

Think of it like a balloon. Starts off small, has a bunch of baby balloons of various sizes, but none bigger than it's parent. As they learn a new experience, the balloons fill up a little more. Those that were the same size as momma-loon now grow bigger. One of the biggest then has babies, various sizes, none bigger than itself. As they learn and experience new things, they fill up and have babies. So on and so on, increasing the balloon and their capacity for intelligence.

Our hands let us do what we want. Could you imagine if your dog had a set of hands? I'm sure some of you out there have a smart dog. Think of all the extra shit it would learn over it's life. If it had man-handed puppies, they'd probably come out slightly smarter and plenty of shit to experience.

Crows and killer whales are smart, but limited to what they can do. I think once a species reaches it's limit on what it can do, it's intelligence increase will start to level out.

And as Max said, it's a luxury.

The progression from single-celled organisms to sentient, self-aware animals has been gradual and the only reason there seems to be such large gaps in the continuum of intelligence is because the "intermediate forms" no longer exist. There were other species of humans that existed like homo habilis, homo ergaster, homo floresiensis etc. that had comparable intelligence to homo sapiens and if those species were alive today the progression from a chimpanzee's intelligence to our own would appear more fluid and gradual.

And I'm not saying that the ecological niche for intelligence has always been filled throughout the history of life on Earth as a niche can exist without an organism to fill it. I'm just saying that it can only ultimately be filled by one species.

Gotcha, but do you really think that only one species can fill that niche? What if someday there were 2, it would be like some planet of the apes shit. And animals often share the same niches. Or maybe humans are just special.

I think it mainly has to do with out hands.. Our hands allowed us to experience more. It started off basic, but soon we were able to do whatever we wanted. We weren't limited by the tools nature provided us.

Think of it like a balloon. Starts off small, has a bunch of baby balloons of various sizes, but none bigger than it's parent. As they learn a new experience, the balloons fill up a little more. Those that were the same size as momma-loon now grow bigger. One of the biggest then has babies, various sizes, none bigger than itself. As they learn and experience new things, they fill up and have babies. So on and so on, increasing the balloon and their capacity for intelligence.

Our hands let us do what we want. Could you imagine if your dog had a set of hands? I'm sure some of you out there have a smart dog. Think of all the extra shit it would learn over it's life. If it had man-handed puppies, they'd probably come out slightly smarter and plenty of shit to experience.

Crows and killer whales are smart, but limited to what they can do. I think once a species reaches it's limit on what it can do, it's intelligence increase will start to level out.

And as Max said, it's a luxury.

Apes have hands too though. And some people don't have hands or are paralyzed and are still intelligent

piggybacking on the hand idea, and the post just before me that says apes have hands too. the hand (really, the opposable thumb) i think is the first thing that allowed our species to develop intelligence. the second thing and i think it is probably dumb luck, is the ability to control fire. when you can control fire you can use it to cook foods, as a weapon, and for protection (well, same thing i guess). but it allowed our species to settle down i think, and the focus wasn't solely on survival anymore 24/7. so like maxammo said, the LUXORY of intelligence, was able to develop

Apes have hands too though. And some people don't have hands or are paralyzed and are still intelligent

And apes and other primates have some intelligence. But what do they experience? Leave the jungle, get mounted on a wall and have your hand turned into an ashtray. They experience the same shit, day in and day out. Smart enough to know to not wander too far. The lesser of a species in an evolutionary line usually gets kicked around, think that's true for some other species as well.

And it was probably when man first learned he could use tools to manipulate the environment. After that, it was game on. Probably should of said that my balloon ramble took the course of millions of years.

If more and more crows were learning something new on a constant basis, not only would they become slightly more intelligent, but pass on the chance for their offspring to have that slightly greater capacity for intelligence. They can only do so much with their beaks and sticks.

Give most any species the ability to completely manipulate their environment however they see fit and watch as they get smarter and smarter over millions of years. Maybe they'll be dropping coconuts on rocks to smash them open and one gets the bright idea to pick the rock up and smash it. Teaches the others and the next generation. Maybe 3 generations later one realizes they can also use the rock to smash off bark of their favorite tree. Teaches everyone, along with the next couple of generations til another decides to use it to break open river clams. After that, they start smashing shit left and right. Learning new things, experiencing different things. Some smashing open some kind of poison berry plant, the others learn not to eat it. Each generations capacity for intelligence increasing ever so slightly. Then they learn they can use a stick to stab something. Couple hundred thousand years later, they learn to tie the rock to the stick.

So on and so on. Its like a positive Catch-22..

Expanding on what Mantikore posted.

Our hands did play an integral part in the evolution of our intelligence. When the jungles of Africa started being replaced by open plains our evolutionary ancestors were forced to leave the safety of the trees to travel between the receding pockets of remaining forest in search of food. Mutations in bone structure likely allowed certain members of the population to stand in a more upright position, allowing them a better field of vision to detect both predators and potential food sources. A bipedal stance thus gave certain members a survival advantage, while also freeing up their hands for other uses like tools.

The use of tools and our hands allowed our ancestors to access certain food sources that had previously been unavailable like bone marrow and certain nuts or seeds. And as Mantikore mentioned, the use of tools spurred increasingly sophisticated behavior. With the discovery and control of fire, plant and animal food could be cooked which also allowed for easier digestion and an increase in caloric intake. Being able to cook food also meant that large jaw bones and jaw muscles were not as advantageous as they once were because chewing through raw meat and plants was no longer necessary. The energy that was once used to fuel the development of large jaw bone/muscle was now available for other sources, and coupled with the increase in energy from cooked food, allowed for the development of larger, more complex brains.

Animals get to have cool shit like poison, ability to fly, better senses, ect. We got the intelligence benefit in nature.

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