PhilGoetz comments on Intelligence as a bad - Less Wrong

2 Post author: PhilGoetz 25 April 2012 04:55PM

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Comment author: PhilGoetz 28 April 2012 02:54:03AM *  0 points [-]

On the biological side, is there any evidence that we have reached an equilibrium? (I'm asking genuinely)

On one hand, evolution appears to work in a punctuated manner, meaning that individual components of evolutionary systems are usually at equilibrium.

On the other hand, brain volume in our ancestors rose smoothly from 3 million years ago to the present.

On the other other hand, some Neanderthals had larger brains than modern humans.

Higher levels of human intelligence result in a lower expected social utility for some other species (we are better at hunting them). It does not result in lower expected social utility for humans as we are generally good to other humans. Higher levels of individual intelligence have brought us the great achievements of human kind with very few downsides.

You can't simply assert that. It's an empirical question. How have you tried to measure the downsides?

Comment author: olalonde 28 April 2012 10:42:07AM *  0 points [-]

You can't simply assert that. It's an empirical question. How have you tried to measure the downsides?

It seems so obvious to me that I didn't bother... Here's some empirical data: http://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_shows_the_best_stats_you_ve_ever_seen.html . Anyways, if you really want to dispute the fact that we have progressed over the past few centuries, I believe the burden of proof rests on you.

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