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(, Sun 1 Apr 2001, 1:00)
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Depends on what you consider intelligence, which is a hard thing to define.
But from your description that it's not changed since evolution, it makes me think that you think it's physically the number of neurons and connections. That's increased markedly since the agricultural revolution, still increasing now as we understand more about prenatal and postnatal nutrition. Vaccinations against viruses that can affect new borns and pregnant women. Antibiotics for bacteria.
Also you should look into something called neuroplasticity which is the effect of the enviroment on the physical connection of the brain. Basically, the more you're educated and stimulated, the more you work your mind the more connections exist and the faster they fire.
(, Tue 18 Sep 2012, 12:16, 1 reply, 13 years ago)
I think what I'm getting at is the difference between trained, educational intelligence
and maximum potential intelligence. I can accept that we're better educated, with a better background understanding of the way the world works and are therefore better equipped to reason through and figure out advanced problems than cavemen, but I don't believe that as a species we have evolved to have a higher potential intelligence. If, for example, you took a Bronze Age baby and brought it up to go through our education system I think it would have the same natural ability to learn and end up as educated as any modern human child.
(, Tue 18 Sep 2012, 12:26, Reply)
So what you're saying is that the modern world is better at getting closer to our potential pinical intelligence
than we were in the past.
How is that different than "the population is getting cleverer"
(, Tue 18 Sep 2012, 12:31, Reply)
I agree with Chompo

(, Tue 18 Sep 2012, 12:33, Reply)
I agree too
*world ends*
(, Tue 18 Sep 2012, 12:37, Reply)

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