Brain expansion (Evolution)

by David Turell @, Sunday, July 05, 2020, 21:39 (1362 days ago) @ dhw

dhw: Thank you for the praise. My theory does not exclude God, and the fact that you have faith in your own explanation (God changes organisms in anticipation of new requirements, and steps in to expand particular groups of brains, skulls and pelvises overnight) offers neither logic nor evidence to back it up.

I'm at a different level of discussion since I sincerely believe God is the designer. Neither you nor I can offer precise factual evidence. You don't accept the logic I use to conclude God exists and acts.

DAVID: The brain is just a mechanism for thought, which means the level of the soul's complexity of thought depends on the complexity of neuronal networks in the physical brain. The bold is a limitation you place on the soul/brain working relationship, which I do not accept. Yes, the brain offers information, but production of complex thought depends upon what the brain offers for use.

dhw: What does this mean? The dualist’s brain offers information for the soul to use, and so of course the soul’s thoughts depend on what information it has. That does not mean the brain thinks or has a capacity for thought. And the soul also depends on the brain for implementation of its thoughts. What else does the dualist’s brain do? Please tell us.

The bold is a version of my dualist theory, without the proviso that the level of complexity of the soul's thinking is limited by the complexity of the brain the soul is using. A more complex brain allows more complex soul thought. Compare erectus thought to sapiens' thought as shown by artifact complexity levels.


DAVID: This again shows you have forgotten we have free will and God doesn't know exactly how we will use it. I don't view this as a defect in my God.

dhw: So he just didn’t know he was giving us too many networks. Oops!

DAVID: Same distortion. Quit it!! I've said God knew we would put it into multiple uses and wanted us to do the modification ourselves by the plasticity mechanism He gave our brain.

dhw: I get it now. He deliberately gave us more new networks than we required,...But actually “we” don’t consciously, of our own free will, complexify or expand or shrink our brains. That is done by the cell communities of which our brains consist. And apparently they are able to complexify themselves and reduce their numbers autonomously, but for some unknown reason your God did not give them the power to autonomously add to their numbers.

Our brain has adding ability especially in the hippocampus areas. You've forgotten recent entries of recent discoveries. Are you inventing another God error, to denigrate God? Of course our neurons know how to complexify. God gave astrocytes and neurons the ability.


Xxxxxxx

Under “energy requirements”:

DAVID: It can be assumed each expansion of the brain was accompanied by a proportionate increase in caloric requirement. This means not only had there to be several simultaneous bony changes but also an adjustment in the division of caloric energy usage and an increase in calorie intake. I doubt this all could be naturally coordinated by chance evolution and had to be designed.

dhw: I would suggest that since cells are living organisms that require sustenance, the larger the community, the more sustenance would be required. I really don’t know why this should be regarded as a special problem or how chance versus design enters the argument, but I agree that the complexities of the cell provide the best possible evidence for design.

Again skipped over all the triple bony change requirements that dictate the need for design and note the human digestive tract made new adaptations for the energy need as compared to apes:

https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2008/04/eating-meat-led-to-smaller-stomachs-bigg...

I remember reproducing this theory before.


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