Re: >H NEURO/IA: "Brain Not Evolving Any Time Soon"
Omega (omega@pacific.net)
Tue, 28 Jan 1997 12:59:53 -0800
E. Shaun Russell wrote:
> So the brain isn't getting bigger. So what? The brain has stayed
> the same size for thousands of years; what hasn't stayed the same is how
> people use their brains. Those who are geniuses are as such because they
> try to maximize their potential. But considering that very little of our
> brain is actually used for thought processes etc., there is little doubt in
> my mind (pun intended) that there is much room for evolutionary improvement.
> Many people who have partial lobectomies and\or lobotomies are still very
> intelligent, though theoretically, the area of their brains are smaller. In
> the same effect, most half-wits have a normal sized brain. In the end, it's
> not the size that counts, but how you use it. ;~)
I have to second this, but would add that there could also be differences
from person to person on the neurological and biochemical levels for a myriad
of reasons. All told, the fact that such a vast range of intelligence (or at
least apparent intelligence) exists within the human race, leads inevitably
to the conclusion that this brain size business is of much lesser immediate
importance than the initial article seemed to imply.
--
In the Ecstatic Service of Life -- Omega