What Are You Carrying?

[Commonwealth of Hank the Cat]

A loaded 45. caliber pistol and a bottle of good light. Oh yeah.

[Xerographica]

Your "theory" is also a half-baked ripoff of a theory that already exists (e.g. the idea that some animals are more intelligent because they can manipulate their environment using their bodies, which includes but is not limited to having the ability to carry things with them, is something that already exists).

It already exists? Ok, so add it to this Wikipedia page... Evolution of human intelligence.

[Dakini]

Your "theory" is also a half-baked ripoff of a theory that already exists (e.g. the idea that some animals are more intelligent because they can manipulate their environment using their bodies, which includes but is not limited to having the ability to carry things with them, is something that already exists).

It already exists? Ok, so add it to this Wikipedia page... Evolution of human intelligence.

Why would I? It doesn't just apply to humans (e.g. octopi and apes are very smart too).

[Alvecia]

Your "theory" is also a half-baked ripoff of a theory that already exists (e.g. the idea that some animals are more intelligent because they can manipulate their environment using their bodies, which includes but is not limited to having the ability to carry things with them, is something that already exists).

It already exists? Ok, so add it to this Wikipedia page... Evolution of human intelligence.

Not wikipedia, but an interesting read
http://www.britannica.com/topic/human-i ... psychology

Edit:
Similar but more specific:
http://sk.com.br/sk-piage.html

I'm not a social psychologist by any stretch of the imagination, but I think your "theory" would fall under the banner of Biological theories?

Edit2: Perhaps cognitive?

[Alvecia]

I think your theory is too specific. The mental processes involved in carrying things are used for many other things.
I think "the need and ability to manipulate ones environment" is better than "the ability and need to carry things".

[Kainesia]

Probably about a dozen STDs.

[Benxboro]

If mencken is to be believed, freedom is an atheistic and solitary lifestyle better suited to survivalist huntsmen in books than the human race.

[The Two Jerseys]

No reference to Gallo in the OP, that's progress.

I'm actually disappointed with that, because "a torch for Gallo" is something that Xero could be carrying.

[Xerographica]

I think your theory is too specific. The mental processes involved in carrying things are used for many other things.
I think "the need and ability to manipulate ones environment" is better than "the ability and need to carry things".

All organisms are capable of manipulating their environment to some degree. Beavers are a pretty good example but my favorite example are the bowerbirds. They do a great job of manipulating their environment. We don't have any bowerbirds here in Southern California but we do have flocks of wild parrots. Sometimes a flock of parrots will swarm my neighbor's fig tree and eat the fruits. Then the parrots fly off and poop the seeds out wherever they go. Some of the seeds germinate and a few seedlings will eventually grow to maturity and bear fruit. Parrots change the environment here in Southern California by inadvertently increasing the supply of trees which match their preferences.

So it's too vague to say that manipulating the environment is the cause of human intelligence. It's necessary to narrow down the cause. And as I mentioned in the OP, humans are exceptionally good at simultaneously carrying different resources. The fact that we are exceptionally linvoid is why we are exceptionally intelligent.

When our ancestors migrated... clearly they wanted to take their most valuable resources with them. This should be pretty straightforward. It should also be straightforward that walking upright and having hands and arms allowed them to simultaneously take many different resources with them. It should also be straightforward that they couldn't carry everything that they wanted to carry. As a result, they were required to make more difficult decisions. More difficult decisions require more better brains.

This is the beautiful intersection of biology and economics. Even though this intersection is beautiful... it's largely neglected. Why is that? It's because we have biologists... and we have economists. And there aren't very many biologists that study the economics just like there aren't very many economists that study biology. And there probably aren't too many individuals that have PhDs in both biology and economics.

As a result of this intersection being largely neglected.... nearly everybody has missed the logical explanation for human intelligence. For anybody who has a decent grasp of both biology and economics... it should be pretty straightforward that our intelligence is the result of walking upright and having arms and hands. These traits allow us to simultaneously carry a wide variety of resources over great distances. In other words... these traits allow us to be more resourceful. And being more resourceful requires solving more complex problems. And solving more complex problems requires greater intelligence.

We aren't the fastest organisms. Lots of animals are faster than us. We aren't the strongest organisms. Lots of animals are stronger than us. But we're the most resourceful organisms. We're the best at moving different resources over large distances. This is why we are the smartest organisms.

Of course I might be wrong! But who's going to prove me wrong? A biologist? An economist? It would take a bioeconomist to prove me wrong. Or an econobiologist!

Imagine if any aliens visited our planet in the future. What can we now know for a fact about these aliens? We can now know for a fact that these aliens are obviously very good at moving different resources over large distances. Which means that they either are, or used to be, at least as good as we are at simultaneously and literally carrying different resources over large distances. Maybe they have evolved past the need to physically carry anything themselves... but they certainly did not skip this evolutionary step. This step is absolutely necessary for intelligent life.

What about artificial intelligence?! Well... how can we hope to create artificial intelligence if we don't understand the true cause of natural intelligence?

[Quokkastan]

And now I am carrying the memory of having read the OP.

Were that I could not...

[Galloism]

This thread seems to make even less sense than usual. I'm not sure what OP means by "carrying" in this context, nor how "carrying" affects the environmental forces involved in evolution.

This however:

No reference to Gallo in the OP, that's progress.

is indeed progress.

[Xerographica]

And now I am carrying the memory of having read the OP.

Were that I could not...

How many of my threads have you read? Have any of them matched your preferences? According to your replies... none of them have matched your preferences. Either you're insane (doing the same thing over and over but expecting a different result)... or you're a glutton for mental punishment. Or you keep your friends close and your enemies closer?

[Xerographica]

This thread seems to make even less sense than usual. I'm not sure what OP means by "carrying" in this context, nor how "carrying" affects the environmental forces involved in evolution.

Might try reading the replies and/or watching these clips.

[Galloism]

And now I am carrying the memory of having read the OP.

Were that I could not...

How many of my threads have you read? Have any of them matched your preferences? According to your replies... none of them have matched your preferences. Either you're insane (doing the same thing over and over but expecting a different result)... or you're a glutton for mental punishment. Or you keep your friends close and your enemies closer?

Maybe this is a forum and he reads threads in a forum in which he participates.

I know I always enjoy your threads. They're kind of like watching Donald Trump trying to talk about the space program. You know it's going to be extremely bad, yet it's hilariously bad and therefore worth watching.

[Galloism]

This thread seems to make even less sense than usual. I'm not sure what OP means by "carrying" in this context, nor how "carrying" affects the environmental forces involved in evolution.

Might try reading the replies and/or watching these clips.

Let's skip the videos that probably have nothing worthwhile shall we?

In any case, you've classified carrying as narrow as "valuables" and as broadly as "thoughts" or "memories" so far in this thread, so I'm not sure to what the hell you're referring. Our capacity for carrying the latter is somewhere near infinite, so having to prioritize memories is not really relevant or important (of note, indexing them most definitely is).

[Quokkastan]

And now I am carrying the memory of having read the OP.

Were that I could not...

How many of my threads have you read? Have any of them matched your preferences? According to your replies... none of them have matched your preferences. Either you're insane (doing the same thing over and over but expecting a different result)... or you're a glutton for mental punishment. Or you keep your friends close and your enemies closer?

I'm a Quokka. We ride fearlessly into the very heart of darkness. Adorable and proud.

[Xerographica]

Might try reading the replies and/or watching these clips.

Let's skip the videos that probably have nothing worthwhile shall we?

Can you truly understand this topic without being genuinely interested in it? If you're not willing to spend (WTP) a few minutes watching different animals carrying resources... then I'm pretty sure that you're not genuinely interested in this topic.

In any case, you've classified carrying as narrow as "valuables" and as broadly as "thoughts" or "memories" so far in this thread, so I'm not sure to what the hell you're referring. Our capacity for carrying the latter is somewhere near infinite, so having to prioritize memories is not really relevant or important (of note, indexing them most definitely is).

In terms of the evolution of human intelligence... I'm referring to physically carrying resources. More specifically... simultaneously carrying different resources. This trait doesn't currently have a label, that I know of. So in the meantime I'm referring to it as "linvoid".

Linvoid = being able to simultaneously (and literally) carry different resources

We humans are exceptionally intelligent because we are exceptionally linvoid.

[Quokkastan]

So why haven't our cephalopod overlords conquered the earth?

[Galloism]

Let's skip the videos that probably have nothing worthwhile shall we?

Can you truly understand this topic without being genuinely interested in it? If you're not willing to spend (WTP) a few minutes watching different animals carrying resources... then I'm pretty sure that you're not genuinely interested in this topic.

In any case, you've classified carrying as narrow as "valuables" and as broadly as "thoughts" or "memories" so far in this thread, so I'm not sure to what the hell you're referring. Our capacity for carrying the latter is somewhere near infinite, so having to prioritize memories is not really relevant or important (of note, indexing them most definitely is).

In terms of the evolution of human intelligence... I'm referring to physically carrying resources. More specifically... simultaneously carrying different resources. This trait doesn't currently have a label, that I know of. So in the meantime I'm referring to it as "linvoid".

Linvoid = being able to simultaneously (and literally) carry different resources

We humans are exceptionally intelligent because we are exceptionally linvoid.

That claim would seem to defy logic. It would be a weird if utterly unprovable claim if there were only two classes of creature - humans and animals, but we can compare other animals too.

Whales and dolphins are among the most intelligent creatures on earth, yet they can carry nothing.

Pigeons (and Eagles) can carry lots of things, yet they're very stupid birds.

[Novus Maryland]

The burden of being the delegate for one region and being founder of another.

[Free Missouri]

The most intelligent thing to carry is a Glock 22 .40 S&W, with an STL Blue Note engraved on the side of the barrel.

[Xerographica]

Whales and dolphins are among the most intelligent creatures on earth, yet they can carry nothing.

Might want to watch the clips.

Pigeons (and Eagles) can carry lots of things, yet they're very stupid birds.

It's not just about allocating resources. It's about being able to simultaneously allocate different resources. Humans are exceptionally linvoid. Which is why humans are exceptionally intelligent.

[Quokkastan]

I'm going to go ahead and say that the problems with this idea are:
1) To the extent it is true, it is trivial, and
2) To the extent it is profound, it is false.

[Xerographica]

So why haven't our cephalopod overlords conquered the earth?

Here's a clip of some cephalopods carrying coconuts. I think it would be pretty hard to conquer the earth without first conquering the land.

Let's think laterally by considering some epiphytics...

Creating The Perfect Orchid For Southern California by Epiphyte, on Flickr

The perfect epiphytic orchid for Southern California would be a lot like Aloe Hercules. It would grow year around (hercuthermal) and require a lot less water in order to do so (succulent). So the perfect epiphytic orchid for SoCal would maximize these two variables...

x = succulent
y = hercuthermal

When it comes to conquering a planet... an organism has to maximize two different variables...

x = locomotion
y = linvoid (able to simultaneously carry different resources)

Humans aren't exceptionally good at moving. We aren't as fast as cheetahs and we don't have wings like birds. And even the flightless ostrich, which is also bipedal, can run 43 mph... which is considerably faster than the fastest human... 27 mph. But we're certainly faster than plenty of other animals.

What about linvoid? If you saw the video clips then you would have seen the fox simultaneously carrying several different resources in its mouth. You would have also seen the chimps simultaneously carrying different resources as well. But humans are by far the most linvoid.

So where would you place x and y on the graph for the following animals?

A. humans
B. cephalopods

[Alvecia]

I think your theory is too specific. The mental processes involved in carrying things are used for many other things.
I think "the need and ability to manipulate ones environment" is better than "the ability and need to carry things".

All organisms are capable of manipulating their environment to some degree. Beavers are a pretty good example but my favorite example are the bowerbirds. They do a great job of manipulating their environment. We don't have any bowerbirds here in Southern California but we do have flocks of wild parrots. Sometimes a flock of parrots will swarm my neighbor's fig tree and eat the fruits. Then the parrots fly off and poop the seeds out wherever they go. Some of the seeds germinate and a few seedlings will eventually grow to maturity and bear fruit. Parrots change the environment here in Southern California by inadvertently increasing the supply of trees which match their preferences.

So it's too vague to say that manipulating the environment is the cause of human intelligence. It's necessary to narrow down the cause. And as I mentioned in the OP, humans are exceptionally good at simultaneously carrying different resources. The fact that we are exceptionally linvoid is why we are exceptionally intelligent.

I disagree, I think it's just vague enough.
In this, much like in many other biological things, I don't think that you can narrow down intelligence to just one cause. Nor do I think you can even prioritise one cause over another.
I think that it is a combination of all of the ways in which man needed to and was able to manipulate his environment that led to intelligence.
Your own theory is far too narrow and does a disservice to all the other pressures.