What if Humans Aren’t the Most Intelligent Creatures on the Planet?

HughFreakingDillon said:

rgambs said:

HughFreakingDillon said:

callen said:

Last-12-Exit said:

If we weren't the most intelligent animals on the planet, we wouldn't be on top of the food chain. Luckily dinosaurs aren't around anymore.

I haven't read the article yet. But it looks interesting.

The dumb kids regularly beats up the smart kid.

that's not really an accurate summary of what Last 12 was trying to say, in my view.

Sure, if we think of intelligence outside the box as being in harmony with nature and our overall surroundings, one could argue that humanity is actually less intelligent than in years past (as the article also mentions-like untouched tribes). But then we have to redefine intelligence. I think intelligence is seperate from action. Sure, many humans destroy the earth, litter, kill each other, leave the lights on when they aren't home, etc, etc, but that doesn't mean that COLLECTIVELY the human race is less intelligent than a whale or a dolphin.

many humans are pleasantly ignorant of their negative surroundings, completely happy, do nothing but good, but does that make them more intelligent than someone with a higher IQ? I don't know about that.

I don't consider that intelligent, in the traditional sense of the word. Intelligent to me is brain capacity. Emotional intelligence is differentiated for a reason. there is emotional, and there is cranial.

I quoted this one, but my response to you is more to the body of your posts in this thread.
Even if intelligence is brain capacity alone, you are dismissing some serious brain capacities. The power of "echo location" is a brain capacity that is very impressive, and many ocean dwellers have spatial memory that far surpasses our own.
There is much to be considered in defining intelligence, for instanceLeBron James is one of the most intelligent men on the planet in a particular fashion... It takes serious neural firing to perform such athletic feats.
A vast majority of the brain is connected to the visual system, and we don't even have particularly good vision.

we have been able to elongate the very lifespan of our own species. The development of medical science alone, in my mind, makes it indisputable.

brianlux said:

HughFreakingDillon said:

rgambs said:

HughFreakingDillon said:

callen said:

Last-12-Exit said:

If we weren't the most intelligent animals on the planet, we wouldn't be on top of the food chain. Luckily dinosaurs aren't around anymore.

I haven't read the article yet. But it looks interesting.

The dumb kids regularly beats up the smart kid.

that's not really an accurate summary of what Last 12 was trying to say, in my view.

Sure, if we think of intelligence outside the box as being in harmony with nature and our overall surroundings, one could argue that humanity is actually less intelligent than in years past (as the article also mentions-like untouched tribes). But then we have to redefine intelligence. I think intelligence is seperate from action. Sure, many humans destroy the earth, litter, kill each other, leave the lights on when they aren't home, etc, etc, but that doesn't mean that COLLECTIVELY the human race is less intelligent than a whale or a dolphin.

many humans are pleasantly ignorant of their negative surroundings, completely happy, do nothing but good, but does that make them more intelligent than someone with a higher IQ? I don't know about that.

I don't consider that intelligent, in the traditional sense of the word. Intelligent to me is brain capacity. Emotional intelligence is differentiated for a reason. there is emotional, and there is cranial.

I quoted this one, but my response to you is more to the body of your posts in this thread.
Even if intelligence is brain capacity alone, you are dismissing some serious brain capacities. The power of "echo location" is a brain capacity that is very impressive, and many ocean dwellers have spatial memory that far surpasses our own.
There is much to be considered in defining intelligence, for instanceLeBron James is one of the most intelligent men on the planet in a particular fashion... It takes serious neural firing to perform such athletic feats.
A vast majority of the brain is connected to the visual system, and we don't even have particularly good vision.

No, there are many incredible things/abilities thatoccur in nature that I find utterly astounding, but I dont equte those with overall intelligence. I am not dismissing anything, I just have a different way of defining it.

I just think the general feeling is that people who are unhappy with the way humans conduct themselves, whether through individual experience, or in mass disappointment with the perceived failure of man with regards to other species and the Earth as a whole, are the ones that seem to have a general bias towards humankind and their intelligence.

With all of the wrongs man has committed against itself and its environment, that does not alone make us lesser than other beings. Look around. Look at the sheer marvel of what we have created (regardless of what personal value you may put on those achievements, they are remarkable nonetheless), and how we have been able to elongate the very lifespan of our own species. The development of medical science alone, in my mind, makes it indisputable.

in·dis·put·a·ble
ˌindəˈspyo͞odəb(ə)l
adjective: indisputable
unable to be challenged or denied.

Interesting, coming from you, Hugh. So we're done here, eh?

brianlux said:

whispering hands said:

Oh yeah!! After I get done writing the results of my dog/wolf study.. ( thank you Colorado Wolf Reserve!!) I wanted to watch that My Name is Khan!! It's nice tonight, so Netflix should work!! Woo hoo!!

Nice! I hope you like it.

I've got "Mr. Wright" starring Queen Latifah queued up.

Whoa- talk about "off subject". No doubt this thread will survive, however.

rgambs said:

HughFreakingDillon said:

rgambs said:

HughFreakingDillon said:

callen said:

Last-12-Exit said:

If we weren't the most intelligent animals on the planet, we wouldn't be on top of the food chain. Luckily dinosaurs aren't around anymore.

I haven't read the article yet. But it looks interesting.

The dumb kids regularly beats up the smart kid.

that's not really an accurate summary of what Last 12 was trying to say, in my view.

Sure, if we think of intelligence outside the box as being in harmony with nature and our overall surroundings, one could argue that humanity is actually less intelligent than in years past (as the article also mentions-like untouched tribes). But then we have to redefine intelligence. I think intelligence is seperate from action. Sure, many humans destroy the earth, litter, kill each other, leave the lights on when they aren't home, etc, etc, but that doesn't mean that COLLECTIVELY the human race is less intelligent than a whale or a dolphin.

many humans are pleasantly ignorant of their negative surroundings, completely happy, do nothing but good, but does that make them more intelligent than someone with a higher IQ? I don't know about that.

I don't consider that intelligent, in the traditional sense of the word. Intelligent to me is brain capacity. Emotional intelligence is differentiated for a reason. there is emotional, and there is cranial.

I quoted this one, but my response to you is more to the body of your posts in this thread.
Even if intelligence is brain capacity alone, you are dismissing some serious brain capacities. The power of "echo location" is a brain capacity that is very impressive, and many ocean dwellers have spatial memory that far surpasses our own.
There is much to be considered in defining intelligence, for instanceLeBron James is one of the most intelligent men on the planet in a particular fashion... It takes serious neural firing to perform such athletic feats.
A vast majority of the brain is connected to the visual system, and we don't even have particularly good vision.

No, there are many incredible things/abilities thatoccur in nature that I find utterly astounding, but I dont equte those with overall intelligence. I am not dismissing anything, I just have a different way of defining it.

I just think the general feeling is that people who are unhappy with the way humans conduct themselves, whether through individual experience, or in mass disappointment with the perceived failure of man with regards to other species and the Earth as a whole, are the ones that seem to have a general bias towards humankind and their intelligence.

With all of the wrongs man has committed against itself and its environment, that does not alone make us lesser than other beings. Look around. Look at the sheer marvel of what we have created (regardless of what personal value you may put on those achievements, they are remarkable nonetheless), and how we have been able to elongate the very lifespan of our own species. The development of medical science alone, in my mind, makes it indisputable.

Necessity is the mother of invention! If we had a stable environment and abundance in the resources we need as a species, we wouldn't be seeing the "achievements" that make us the kings of the Earth. It's not about emotion for me, just raw brain potential...in which we probably are the winners, but it's a tighter race than many think.