Personalities

[Nicos]

The Seven Daughters Of Eve might sound more familiar?
I love the idea of one 'tall, beautiful East African woman, striding strongly across the sub-Saharan plains, the mother of all women.'

I just think it's kinda beautiful.

ermm..was there a short fat hairy daughter perchance???

[FionaH]

ermm..was there a short fat hairy daughter perchance???

See in my head I am a 5ft 9 supermodel

[Brengirl]

ermm..was there a short fat hairy daughter perchance???

You do make me laff. Beauty lies from within and all that.

[sewer rat]

That's because we have more efficient methods of construction nowadays.

Might be more efficient but how many of todays constructions will still be standing in 1000 years ?

[Seahorse]

I can't subscribe to the idea that the human brain hasn't evolved in 100,000 years.

But is it so much about 'evolution' as the leisure and time to think? It's really not that long ago that the vast majority of people either foraged for food/farmed and/or worked all day, every day. In those circumstances, even someone with the mental capacity to be a brain surgeon simply wouldn't have had the time or opportunity to fulfill their academic potential.

[Glutton4...]

In nemo secs we have gone from personality to brainpower...

Sounds a bit fishy to me LOL

[HeyWayne]

Might be more efficient but how many of todays constructions will still be standing in 1000 years ?

Granted, but how many built over 1000 years ago were subject to budgetry control, planning supervision, tight timescales, building regulations and public approval?

More would probably last as long as the pyramids if they were constructed with limitless budgets, 20 year timescales and thousands of human sacrifices.

Even the Scottish Parliament building can't claim that kind of record.

[HeyWayne]

In those circumstances, even someone with the mental capacity to be a brain surgeon simply wouldn't have had the time or opportunity to fulfill their academic potential.

Ah, the modern method of mind measurement. I'd wager the term Academic probably didn't even feature "back in the day".

Academic potential. Grrr.

[Rhona]

...constructed with limitless budgets, 20 year timescales and thousands of human sacrifices.

I'm sure that's the same company that's building the 'Sheffield Skyscraper', y'know. It's taking ages.

[Brengirl]

You two can slog it out till kingdom come. What I am on about is not research facilities but the power of the brain to think for itself without resources. Natural potential and all that.

[HeyWayne]

What I am on about is not research facilities but the power of the brain to think for itself without resources.

Not sure I follow you, but do you mean without oxygen/blood?

[Brengirl]

Well some peeps manage on just hot air lol

[bobleponge]

I can't subscribe to the idea that the human brain hasn't evolved in 100,000 years.

I agree that Master H. Sapien had to learn all these things, but he didn't learn them all in a day, so at some point there would have been little going on in his head.

Mr Sapien Dude on day one didn't suddenly know all the survival skills required to live out his first day. It's why people like Ray Mears harps on about skills being learned over generations, and being passed down and so on.

I would suggest that Mr S Dude's diary (had he been able to read and write) on day one of his existence wasn't full of a day with Ray Mears/Bear Grylls type adventure.

Actually, that would suggest that a dude just landed on planet Earth and started living. Which is proposterous.

I guess we should be mindful of the countless things that we know, yet take for granted. Conversing here par example.

I really should stop doing these presentations (updating/amending/improving a Powerpoint presentation as we speak), they give me far too much time to think.

Clearly the human brain has evolved, as has the human being, and will continue to do so.
I think the original debate was how little H Sapien knew then as compared to now.
I would agree totally that he didnt learn how to do loads of things on day 1, but neither has Bean. Clever he may be, coming from such lofty stock, but its still going to take him many years to know everything that you do.
Thus I would contend it was the same for early man. He knew things that we dont, and vice versa.
I dont agree that he knew next to nothing and was therefore someone to avoid in the Pterodacyl Arms of an evening over a pint of cidersaur, but would suggest he knew loads of stuff, some useful some not, the same as us these days.
The stuff we take for granted, nuclear fusion, electricity, running water, most of us dont "actually" understand, we just know it happens.
The knowledge database of man is constantly changing, but I'm not sure its actually growing. As quickly as we learn and understand how the hooking great big pipe under Switzerland works, then we forget how to use lead as a plumbing material, or how to make asbestos. (Yes I know they are both dangerous and our knowledge has increased, but now we no longer use them, we will forget how to make/use them).
I dont think that its due to our brains being full, more to the fact that there is only so much that we can process efficiently. I'm sure I remember a bizarre statistic (probably made up) that we use a ridiculously small portion of our brain, and I would wager early man did the same.

Evolution?? Yes definitely.
Early man having no personality because he knew nothing?? I dont think so.

[HeyWayne]

You're missing the bit about the future too - which was part of my original post.

I'm not Homer bashing.

I guess it's more a question of what is a personality rather than level of intelligence (again, what I was really asking - maybe not most eloquently).

The question came about really because LadyWayne and I were talking the other day about how Bean is starting now to have his own personality.

But is he really - or is he a product of our two (LadyWayne and I) personalities.

Which in turn lead me to the thought - when did personalities start to become personalities. What defines a personality.

And here we are.

Not intelligence - personality. Or are they the same.

I'm lost now.

[HeyWayne]

In some senses I agree bob, but disagree to an extent on others.

We may not know how to create a flint spear head, or fashion a garment from an animal skin, but we are aware of these things - to varying degrees.

A bit like what Sarz said:

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...tml#post591202

If we travelled back in time to have dinner with Homer Sapien and the family Sapien there would be very little that would blow our mind. Bring him and his family back with us to the present day and I'd expect they'd end up a gibbering wreck by the time we've travelled 2 miles in the car.

Likewise if we travelled forward the same amount of time into the future.

Chances are we'd be mind boggled by the stuff that was going on.

Not saying we are any more intelligent than Homer, or any less than Mr F. Uture and kin, but they "know" more stuff than us, and we "know" more stuff than Homer - it's the "knowing" stuff that shapes us isn't it?

Ergo - there's more stuff to us now than there was to Homer et al.

I think.

Make sense?

I'm off for a sit down.