AdeleneDawner comments on Boksops -- Ancient Superintelligence? - Less Wrong

-2 Post author: MBlume 30 December 2009 11:12AM

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Comment author: jimrandomh 30 December 2009 03:28:53PM *  6 points [-]

Brain size sets an upper bound on intelligence, but it doesn't determine it. There are plenty of species with brains much larger than ours that are nevertheless very stupid, and there's little or no correlation between brain size and intelligence among humans. Since the Boskops appear to have not gone anywhere and not left behind any signs of writing or technology, the logical conclusion is that they weren't smart enough to have either.

Comment author: AdeleneDawner 30 December 2009 05:00:26PM 2 points [-]

This was pretty much my response. I've read a bit about the issue, and my understanding is that the size of the brain compared to the body is somewhat useful as a rough guide to intelligence on a species level, and that the relative sizes of the different specialized regions of the brain are about as important as overall (relative) size. Neither of those factors could be extrapolated from skull fragments, as far as I know.