Explaining natural wonders: before or after? (Animals)

by David Turell , Tuesday, June 06, 2017, 15:31 (2514 days ago) @ dhw

dhw: An important observation, as it suggests environmental change initiated brain change, just as it may well have initiated other responses that led to speciation. In this case, it would have activated the internal drive for survival, and the lucky few were able to come up with concepts that enabled them to give the requisite instructions to their brains and bodies. [/i]

DAVID: 11,700 years ago, the brain change is not in size; that was fixed 200,000 years ago. Of course groups developed survival concepts and their brains became more complex and more prepared for when the warmer interglacial time (now) arrived. Size first, use second.

dhw: Ah, but I didn’t say the change was in size. The point was the sequence: environmental change triggers drive for survival, triggers concepts to enable survival, triggers brain changes. In this case, yes, the size was already there, as it had reached its maximum, but if concept precedes and causes brain change (complexification) after the 200,000 years, why would it not also have preceded and caused brain change (expansion) before the 200,000 years?

Now we have our pre-sapiens conceptualizing their need for bigger brains so they can handle their lives a little better, or better than that a lot better. Bigger skull, bigger frontal lobe, please, and then mirabile dictu it appears!