Is mankind more intelligent Today than ever before?

I didn't know about this, but recently came across it. The IQ increase is there. But, we know that is a crude measure, for a crude difinition of intelligence.

http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/articles/article/emmajarviscolumn1.htm/

James Flynn is much more sure of the "Flynn" effect.

http://moreintelligentlife.com/node/654

This one discusses our modern unstanding of the teaching of learning

http://mashable.com/2012/07/17/knewton-adaptive-learning/

I used to believe that nothing in our brains has changed for 30,000. We still have the 7 deathly sins, etc. But, this is myth shattering and speaks to the reason why my Psy. PhD brother has always maintained the species is evolving along these alturistic lines. And is becoming less violent.

It suggests that helping the world is really helping.

The power of the cell phone camera has horrorfied and nauseated the entire world like no other time in history.

Maybe we are waking up.

Yes, the exponential growth of technology is blowing my mind, what the hell is going to happen in 50 years? It seems star wars is reality by 2030

Nah, the Egyptians would laugh at us playing with our toys.

Chief Walkin Eagle said:

Nah, the Egyptians would laugh at us playing with our toys.

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What the fuck does that even mean? Do you think they expected us to make faster progress than we have? They couldn't hold us in contempt for accomplishing less than they did. The Egyptian's minds would be blown by our modern technology, please explain. On second thought, don't bother. Sorry Doer, CWE's presence has tainted an otherwise promising thread, and has earned it a one star...

Ah, don't worry about that. People get defensive when their views are challenged.

Then they are reduced to silly one liners.
I see it as an interest to learn. He is still here. The age of Stone Stackers in gone.

Yet, Stoned Slackers, still exist. Strange.

Doer, the idea that a technology should be altering what is effectively a congenital quality smacks to me of Lamarckian heredity, and I imagine that is what drives this sensation. It's a sneak attack on the flanks of the Darwinian keep, and that's great entertainment.
The other thing that I think hasn't been asked here is if there is a systematic error in how we define and measure intelligence. Most IQ tests have an irreducible culture/knowledge component; heck, they require language to take. So perhaps what is really being measured is a blend of native intelligence and, let's call it an Informedness Quotient. cn

[h=2]Is mankind more intelligent Today than ever before?[/h]

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I would be hard pressed to believe that the great minds of the past would not be comparable to those of the present.

idk but less people with common sense these days!

Lamarckian heredity could be the same as with our physical evolution,what I mean to say is that we adapted to the region or condition of geological location over time for survival physicaly, so why not on a mental or cognitive potential to adapt to the newest environment that being the man made one,we are venturing unprecedently on a cultural level into new avenues of living afterall.

Another thing I wonder about is what is actualy being taught in colleges or university's as to how pragmatic or practical ways of thinking are kind of being shot down to place a more modern equivalent in its stead being book smarts so to speak.You can have a huge IQ but not know anything about how to interact with natural situations or people for that matter ,,,,,or am I off base here?

cannabineer said:

Doer, the idea that a technology should be altering what is effectively a congenital quality smacks to me of Lamarckian heredity, and I imagine that is what drives this sensation. It's a sneak attack on the flanks of the Darwinian keep, and that's great entertainment.
The other thing that I think hasn't been asked here is if there is a systematic error in how we define and measure intelligence. Most IQ tests have an irreducible culture/knowledge component; heck, they require language to take. So perhaps what is really being measured is a blend of native intelligence and, let's call it an Informedness Quotient. cn

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Certainly possible and I don't rule out that view point. Perhaps, though, Darwinian thought is also in evolution. (tee hee) And it really speaks to the fact, again, we don't know what it is. So, a new measure? Sure. This makes more sense to me.

So, IQ, Informed Quota? Do we ever have enough of that?. It, to me, amount to the same thing from this view point of a truly Global Tribe.

A TGT would lift us all quite quickly, in historic terms, to an much more altruistic world. Information is not power. It's withholding is power. North Korea, the Wasiri UN territory, etc.

Dislexicmidget2021 said:

Lamarckian heredity could be the same as with our physical evolution,what I mean to say is that we adapted to the region or condition of geological location over time for survival physicaly, so why not on a mental or cognitive potential to adapt to the newest environment that being the man made one,we are venturing unprecedently on a cultural level into new avenues of living afterall.

Another thing I wonder about is what is actualy being taught in colleges or university's as to how pragmatic or practical ways of thinking are kind of being shot down to place a more modern equivalent in its stead being book smarts so to speak.You can have a huge IQ but not know anything about how to interact with natural situations or people for that matter ,,,,,or am I off base here?

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Dislexic, afaik humans adapted to different regions in the good ol' Darwinian way ... the individuals who were at a disadvantage bred less and died off. No Lamarck.
It's very probable our new urban lifestyle makes for strong evolutionary pressure. But it will take many generations before the winnowing process of selection shows which way that pressure shapes the organism. My opinion. cn

Doer said:

Certainly possible and I don't rule out that view point. Perhaps, though, Darwinian thought is also in evolution. (tee hee) And it really speaks to the fact, again, we don't know what it is. So, a new measure? Sure. This makes more sense to me.

So, IQ, Informed Quota? Do we ever have enough of that?. It, to me, amount to the same thing from this view point of a truly Global Tribe.

A TGT would lift us all quite quickly, in historic terms, to an much more altruistic world. Information is not power. It's withholding is power. North Korea, the Wasiri UN territory, etc.

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Doer, I worry that a True Global Tribe is as utopian a concept as Zion or the New Soviet Man or even galactic alignment. Humans are cardplayers by instinct: dividers, hoarders, seekers after and managers of advantage. cn

To me it is not. And everything can be cast that way really. We are not talking about a Theory, like Marx-ism or Ism-ism.

It appears to be a phenomenon. I read a study on babies. Altruism in 1 year olds. Simple stuff. Usually a brief stuff toy show and the baby gets to choose the toy afterwards. A giant lot of stuff we thought it was was slowly learned is showing up in pre-verbal babies.

Babies will choose the toy that helps the other toy open a box, 9 to 1. They soundly reject the toy that prevented the other from opening the box. So, yes, we reject Utopian concepts. But this seems, very un-expected and quite organic. A wonderful un-intended consequence of cell cameras, etc. It reminds of how the Web created itself along the Game Theory of self aggregation.
Six degrees of separation. It's called Smaller Worlds in the math. So, if this is even slightly real, it's not Utopian at all.

Doer said:

To me it is not. And everything can be cast that way really. We are not talking about a Theory, like Marx-ism or Ism-ism.
It appears to be a phenomenon. I read a study on babies. Altruism in 1 year olds. Simple stuff. Usually a brief stuff toy show and the baby gets to choose the toy afterwards. A giant lot of stuff we thought it was was slowly learned is showing up in pre-verbal babies.

Babies with choose the toy that helps the other toy open a box, 9 to 1. They soundly reject the toy that prevented the other from opening the box. So, yes, we reject utopian concepts. But this seems, very un-expeced and quite organic.camers A wonderful un-intended consequence of cell cameras, etc. It reminds of how the Web created itself on the Game Theory of self aggregation.

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The trouble is that our games, and our game theory, grow more sophisticated and twisty as we age. By puberty, most have understood the prisioner's Dilemma, even if they don't recognize the name, and have decided the defector's life is for them. Cui bono? was the old Latin proverb, which of course translates as "What's in it for Sonny&Cher?" cn

Chief Walkin Eagle said:

Nah, the Egyptians would laugh at us playing with our toys.

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Right... Did they even have CD players? Walkman? fucking noobs.

I'd say it's equal. Nothing physical has significantly changed in the time period our species has really come into being, within 10,000-12,000 years. So it depends on what you mean by 'intelligence'. We've obtained more knowledge, that's obvious, because we have the benefit of having built upon centuries of progress.

I think most people today don't give our ancestors enough credit. Think about it, fire. Just one example. Imagine the life a person was living before there was fire compared to the one after. Fire was one of the biggest advancements in all of human history, if not the biggest. The wheel, agriculture, domestication of animals, cities, political systems, religions, weapons. One thing I think is particularly remarkable is our earlier findings in astronomy, having nothing but fucking mathematics to prove theories. That's absolutely amazing to me, somebody could come up with something that there is no way to currently physically verify, then 100 years later somebody invents a tool and tests the numbers and instantly in that moment 100 years of progress is added to the history books and every human being to come after that can point to the moment in time when scientific justice was finally served! Shit gives me chills sometimes.

I do think ancient people were much more efficient and their personal relationships were probably much more meaningful to them than they are to us. They probably had vast knowledge of their environment, what plants could be used for what types of medicines, excellent hunters, excellent builders, great role models, etc. Most of them lived in tribe type nomadic societies where being a stand up guy paid off and being a dead beat affected your social status and brought shame to yourself. Today, none of that shit matters at all, the only thing that really matters is how much money someone has, it doesn't even really matter how you get it either, be it legally or illegally. It's socially unacceptable to even ask in most cases..

I got stoned in the middle of that, so it probably sounds a little different... lol

First time in a few days too, so damn I'm gone!

..so I'll just leave it at that.. lol

I give them credit.. The walkman thing was just a joke.

We have gained more knowledge through the aid of our ancestors. If for some weird reason they weren't able to pass on their knowledge, we'd be the ones smacking rocks against stone..

cannabineer said:

The trouble is that our games, and our game theory, grow more sophisticated and twisty as we age. By puberty, most have understood the prisioner's Dilemma, even if they don't recognize the name, and have decided the defector's life is for them. Cui bono? was the old Latin proverb, which of course translates as "What's in it for Sonny&Cher?" cn

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I had to look up Sony&Cher, but I see what you mean. Have two big buddies ski the guy into a tree for revenge. So, games beyond games. Yes, yes.

Yet, I wiggle from the idea that this is Utopian, only. And like climate change there is plenty of hay for all.

Surely, individually, all the devil of evil will still be still present. But, in brain science they are on the trail of even that.

Brave New altered World. Sure to come of no good. But as a tribe perhaps we are slightly less able to to de-humanize. But as we see, a Nerd can gear up and deal Death using the same Tech. So, I have to grant that part.

Ever read Cloud Atlas?

The smarter we get..... the more destruction we are capable of.
Once we loose the fear of dying... we loose the fear of war and anything else.