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

So if that logic stands even semi firm, and ghe animals have mastered evolutionary necessity, then how are they less intelligent? ( although that can be washed out by the argument that every species is constantly evolving..)

whispering hands said:

So if that logic stands even semi firm, and ghe animals have mastered evolutionary necessity, then how are they less intelligent? ( although that can be washed out by the argument that every species is constantly evolving..)

Must be because of god.

brianlux said:

whispering hands said:

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.

I agree with you on this! Again like I said before.. The only reason animals never evolved further, is because there was no reason to.

That's an interesting perspective, W.H.! I like that a lot!

I'm guessing some day we will finally break the Dolphin Code and be able to speak with these sea mammals. If so, and if a researcher were to ask dolphins, "So why didn't you evolve further?" I'm guessing they will answer, "What, and become like you idiots?" Haha!

My guess is you're right!

And I never said they QUIT evolving. I just stated they haven't evolved any further than necessity incurred. Does that mean any of us are through evolving, nope. We're just at a stable point now where the evolutionary process has plataued a bit.

Again, given what I know about the animal kingdom, in ALL regional aspects, I cannot say humans are the most intelligent creature on earth.
But I will give you all this:
We are the most intelligent creature in our environment.
And this has just been blowing my mind all day since the collective findings got turned in last night, and the responses started rolling in this morning. We are still learning more and more about the human/dog relativity factor over the initial human/wolf relativity factor. So far the conclusion is that in evolutionary strides the fog has surpassed the chimps and other primates in it's ability to understand visual communication, pointing, hand gestures etc! However, the are able to learn sign language... But in all actuality, it has to be taught to them. And even when instructed, they can't infer what the meanings are.. But we're finding that dogs can. Very interesting.. My mind has been blown for hours talking to the primate specialists about the differences!

callen 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.

Have thought about this many times. Some seriously high IQ people I've met can't use hammer and nail. Different types of intelligence and can see how whales and other mammals could have intelligence we'll never comprehend.

Also it would be a big problem for our psyche if we found out all those cows that we slaughter and eat had high intelligence on another level.

I like this thought line, but it made me laugh, cause having been around cattle for at least half my working life, I'd cry with surprises laughter if this ever came to pass.. But a very interesting point indeed.