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Romashka comments on Open Thread, January 4-10, 2016 - Less Wrong Discussion

5 Post author: polymathwannabe 04 January 2016 01:06PM

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Comment author: Romashka 08 January 2016 12:46:05PM 1 point [-]

I'm not saying otherwise! I'm saying that the formulation has little sense either way. Compare: 'there is little observed variation in anatomy between apes in broad sense because the evolutionary pressure constraining anatomical changes is too great to allow much viable variation', 'there is little observed variation in anatomy ..., but not in intelligence, because further evolution of intelligence allows for greater success and so younger branches are more intelligent and better at survival', 'only change in anatomy drives change in intelligence, so apparently there was some great hack which translated small changes in anatomy to lead to great changes in intelligence', 'chimpanzees never tell us about the voices they hear'...

Comment author: ChristianKl 08 January 2016 02:01:30PM 0 points [-]

There are million of years invested into the task about how to move with legs. There's not millions of years invested into the task of how brains best deal with language.

Comment author: Romashka 08 January 2016 05:19:48PM 0 points [-]

What do you understand as evolution of the mind, then, and how is it related to that of organs?

Comment author: ChristianKl 08 January 2016 10:50:52PM 0 points [-]

I think adding lanugage produced something like a quantum leap for the mind and that there's no similar quantum leap for other organ's like the human heart. The quantum leap means that other parts have to adapt and optimize for now language being a major factor.

You could look at IQ.

The mental difference between a human at IQ 70 and a human at IQ 130 is vast. Intelligence is also highly heritable. With a few hundred thousand years and a decent amount of evolutionary pressure on stronger intelligence you wouldn't have many low IQ people anymore.