Brain expansion (Evolution)

by David Turell , Thursday, June 04, 2020, 20:29 (1416 days ago) @ dhw

DAVID: Very obvious to me. The neurons have onboard instructions as to how to run a complexification process during deep thought. The soul uses the instrument of the brain's many extra neurons to observe and learn, creates memories of facts and conceptualizes new theories. And the brain is able to shuck cells.

So the “instructions” are actually the mechanism for complexification as the cells respond to the demands of the soul. And unless you are going to tell us that your God plants every new demand and then twiddles the cells accordingly, you are left with the fact that this mechanism functions autonomously. Thank you. After more flannel about instructions, we had the following exchange:

dhw: Now please tell us once and for all what sort of “instructions” you think your God had to provide, if they were not in the form of a mechanism enabling the brain to restructure itself in order to meet new requirements.

DAVID: Correct. Our brain obviously contains a mechanism to reorganize existing neurons into more complex circuits to handle more advanced thought, with so many extra neurons that could be deleted and result in a shrinkage of 150 cc.

dhw: Thank you again for agreeing that the mechanism enables the brain to restructure itself. All your nebulous instructions, guidelines, controls etc. simply boil down to there being an autonomous mechanism enabling the brain to restructure itself in response to new requirements. And I suggest there is no reason to reject the proposal that the same autonomous mechanism would have enabled the brain to restructure itself by expansion as well as by complexification in response to new requirements.

I recognized awhile ago (especially yesterday) you were planning the bolded 'trap' above, by continuing to misinterpret my meanings. The so called autonomous mechanism is no more than an automatic mechanism God built into the neurons of our brains so they respond properly for to maintain the correct/right form of complexity. Please read carefully my new entry of today, noting the high efficiency of our brain. It partially explains real complexification as the author views it.

DAVID: As for the many hominin/homo varieties in different climates, as I stated before, as they interbred, they provided/ developed naturally different beneficial attributes to the final sapiens species.

dhw: How God did it, if I remember rightly, was by personally twiddling the genomes of all the hominins and homos. “Developed naturally”? Are you then saying that your God provided them with an autonomous mechanism that enabled them to develop different attributes? Or are you going to tell us that he twiddled every genome with “instructions” to develop the attributes which presumably he would then transfer to H. sapiens when he eventually got round to directly designing/twiddling the only species of homo he wanted to design/twiddle?

DAVID: Fully explained before. I'll give an example from the Denisovans who gave us the ability to live at high altitude, as they had the ability to adapt to it. Neanderthals gave us improved immunity from the abilities they had. In my view God gave all earlier branches adaptation abilities which all proceeded to supply humans benefits as they interbred with earlier forms.

dhw: You don’t need to give us examples. I asked whether “developed naturally” meant God provided them with an autonomous mechanism to develop their attributes, or personally dabbled each one.

Can happen either way. So, take your choice.