Evolution of Mind and Brain

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Evolution of Mind and Brain
OP - April 05, 2011, 05:27 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_jODjsFt6w
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Dr. Anna Dornhaus is Assistant Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona. Her lecture was given on March 9, 2010, as part of the College of Science Mind and Brain Lecture Series. http://cos.arizona.edu/mind/

What does anybody need a brain for? Brains are energetically expensive to make and to use, and susceptible to making mistakes. Accordingly, not learning, i.e. sticking to an innate or random strategy, is often the best thing to do. Still, humans and other animals display sophisticated learning and cognition. Recent research shows that each animal has specific learning abilities and lacks others according to its environment and evolutionary history. Understanding what different brains are used for can help us understand why they evolved.

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Re: Evolution of Mind and Brain
Reply #1 - April 05, 2011, 05:37 PM

Hmm ha!.. Good stuff in it .. Thank you MoeAlharbi ., She seem to have problem of differentiating brain & mind and difference between the two..

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Re: Evolution of Mind and Brain
Reply #2 - April 05, 2011, 05:38 PM

One thing she hasn't mentioned is where those hardwired skills come from. She talks about how birds know where to migrate without learning, but she doesn't explain how or why. I'm guessing it has something to do with chemical reactions in the brain, and she's a bit more on the behavioral science of the study.

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Re: Evolution of Mind and Brain
Reply #3 - April 05, 2011, 05:45 PM

Quote from: MoeAlharbi on April 05, 2011, 05:38 PM
One thing she hasn't mentioned is where those hardwired skills come from. She talks about how birds know where to migrate without learning, but she doesn't explain how or why. I'm guessing it has something to do with chemical reactions in the brain, and she's a bit more on the behavioral science of the study.

Well she is NOT Neuroscientist, She is an evolutionary biologist. But it is a good talk.

One thing we have to realize here is, Human beings are at the best 50 or 100000 year old. before they were all Monkeys in caves and this Modern science is hardly 100 year old. The fun here is, this evolution of human brain (Physical structure/Size) is so fast comparatively any other animal that is there for the past millions of years , it is indeed very hard question to answer.

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Re: Evolution of Mind and Brain
Reply #4 - April 05, 2011, 07:07 PM

What's your evidence for saying that we've evolved faster in any way than anything else in the past 'millions of years'. Did everything else put the brakes on - I don't think so.

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Re: Evolution of Mind and Brain
Reply #5 - April 05, 2011, 07:55 PM

Quote from: sojournerlumus on April 05, 2011, 07:07 PM
What's your evidence for saying that we've evolved faster in any way than anything else in the past 'millions of years'. Did everything else put the brakes on - I don't think so.

well the simplest experimental measurement is, take any evolutionary tree from its branching site and plot the time scale of its survival after it is evolved Vs Brain size or brain area.. You will get to that conclusion.. Apart from that, Advancement of humanity just with in the past 100 years tells us our brain is way different from that of other animal brain.

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Re: Evolution of Mind and Brain
Reply #6 - April 05, 2011, 08:11 PM

Quote from: yeezevee on April 05, 2011, 05:45 PM
The fun here is, this evolution of human brain (Physical structure/Size) is so fast comparatively any other animal that is there for the past millions of years , it is indeed very hard question to answer.

Quote from: sojournerlumus on April 05, 2011, 07:07 PM
What's your evidence for saying that we've evolved faster in any way than anything else in the past 'millions of years'. Did everything else put the brakes on - I don't think so.

I don't think that we evolved any faster. I think it's one small change in our brain structure that makes a big difference.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzDLkPFjev4

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Re: Evolution of Mind and Brain
Reply #7 - April 05, 2011, 08:19 PM

Quote from: MoeAlharbi on April 05, 2011, 08:11 PM
I don't think that we didn't evolve any faster. I think it's one small change in our brain structure that makes a big difference.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzDLkPFjev4

you have terrific interests MoeAlharbi ., there are two -ve words in that statement., by that you mean to say human being evolved faster than other animals??

If it is I do agree with that, but the question still remains, why in this world with all the biological diversity and all of them evolving with same biologic and biological cycles, why Human beings evolved faster than any other animal species of this earth. That question puzzles me.

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Re: Evolution of Mind and Brain
Reply #8 - April 05, 2011, 08:26 PM

Sorry, double negative.
fixed

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Re: Evolution of Mind and Brain
Reply #9 - April 05, 2011, 08:32 PM

We didn't evolve faster. Like he said in the video, we have a gene for having 3 times as many neurons. And I think its a specific part of the brain.
And I'm it's probably our species that got all the others (i.e. neanderthals) extinct. I wouldn't even be surprised if that's what started slavery either.

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Re: Evolution of Mind and Brain
Reply #10 - April 05, 2011, 09:07 PM

The brain can be explained through evolutionary means.
The mind, however, is unexplainable through any physical parameters,

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Re: Evolution of Mind and Brain
Reply #11 - April 05, 2011, 09:09 PM

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Re: Evolution of Mind and Brain
Reply #12 - April 05, 2011, 09:15 PM

Quote from: MoeAlharbi on April 05, 2011, 08:32 PM
We didn't evolve faster. Like he said in the video,

Well I have the right to agree to disagree with you and with that juice lol.. Robert Maurice Sapolsky. His experimental statement itself takes me in to different direction.
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we have a gene for having 3 times as many neurons. And I think its a specific part of the brain.

When we have genes that code 3 times more neurons in volume than any other animals, that itself is physical experimental parameter which differentiates us with our closest neighbors. But why did the humans get that? why other animals could not do the same thing? after all we drink same water and we eat same proteins and our metabolic currency "the ATP" is same to all of us. Any way I have to read and think more. But please realize Robert Sapolsky is NOT unquestionable.
Quote
And I'm it's probably our species that got all the others (i.e. neanderthals) extinct. I wouldn't even be surprised if that's what started slavery either.

Well I don't have any experimental proof on that "all neanderthals became extinct." who knows ?? Allah knows the best.. lol.. Some of them may have integrated into human beings and some human being may have integrated in to neanderthals. There are difficult questions yet to be answered.

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Re: Evolution of Mind and Brain
Reply #13 - April 05, 2011, 09:16 PM

Quote from: z10 on April 05, 2011, 09:07 PM
The brain can be explained through evolutionary means.
The mind, however, is unexplainable through any physical parameters,

what is the difference between the brain and mind in your neck of the world dear Z10??

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Re: Evolution of Mind and Brain
Reply #14 - April 05, 2011, 10:04 PM

the brain is a useful scientific fiction
the mind is the only reality we know

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Re: Evolution of Mind and Brain
Reply #15 - April 05, 2011, 10:18 PM

Quote from: z10 on April 05, 2011, 10:04 PM
the brain is a useful scientific fiction
the mind is the only reality we know

That sound like Sophistry to me.. Oops I mean Sufistory ..

May be you wanted to say other way around

The brain is the only useful scientific physical reality
and the mind is useful scientific fiction

That sounds better to me..

That is good graph...

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Re: Evolution of Mind and Brain
Reply #16 - April 05, 2011, 10:18 PM

Quote from: z10 on April 05, 2011, 10:04 PM
the brain is a useful scientific fiction

Not sure it's quite as simple as that. The brain can be understood on some levels, it's effects can be predicted and measured. E.g., damage to certain parts of the brain likewise damage related functions, like speech, and certain drugs can change the state of mind because of the effects they have on the brain and nervous system.
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Re: Evolution of Mind and Brain
Reply #17 - April 05, 2011, 10:22 PM

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Oops I mean Sufistory

What's wrong with a bit of Sufistory, sayyidna Yeeshavee?
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Re: Evolution of Mind and Brain
Reply #18 - April 05, 2011, 10:26 PM

Quote from: Zebedee on April 05, 2011, 10:22 PM
What's wrong with a bit of Sufistory, sayyidna Yeeshavee?

..

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Re: Evolution of Mind and Brain
Reply #19 - April 05, 2011, 11:24 PM

Quote from: yeezevee on April 05, 2011, 10:18 PM
That sound like Sophistry to me.. Oops I mean Sufistory ..

May be you wanted to say other way around

The brain is the only useful scientific physical reality
and the mind is useful scientific fiction

That sounds better to me..

I think you have things the wrong way around. Scientific hypotheses are not reality, they are useful fictions created by us to explain the world - to take these fictions and to say they correspond correctly to the absolute truth of reality is a leap of faith.

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Re: Evolution of Mind and Brain
Reply #20 - April 05, 2011, 11:25 PM

Quote from: Zebedee on April 05, 2011, 10:18 PM
Not sure it's quite as simple as that. The brain can be understood on some levels, it's effects can be predicted and measured. E.g., damage to certain parts of the brain likewise damage related functions, like speech, and certain drugs can change the state of mind because of the effects they have on the brain and nervous system.

Sure, but I am not saying the brain is an illusion, just that it's not a fact. I use 'fiction' in a very confrontational sense

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Re: Evolution of Mind and Brain
Reply #21 - April 06, 2011, 12:03 AM

Quote from: yeezevee on April 05, 2011, 10:18 PM
That sound like Sophistry to me.. Oops I mean Sufistory ..

May be you wanted to say other way around

The brain is the only useful scientific physical reality
and the mind is useful scientific fiction

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Re: Evolution of Mind and Brain
Reply #22 - April 06, 2011, 12:05 AM

Quote from: z10 on April 05, 2011, 11:25 PM
I use 'fiction' in a very confrontational sense

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Re: Evolution of Mind and Brain
Reply #23 - April 06, 2011, 12:22 AM

Quote from: z10 on April 05, 2011, 11:24 PM
I think you have things the wrong way around. Scientific hypotheses are not reality, they are useful fictions created by us to explain the world - to take these fictions and to say they correspond correctly to the absolute truth of reality is a leap of faith.

You make my brain hurt.

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Re: Evolution of Mind and Brain
Reply #24 - April 06, 2011, 12:29 AM

Quote from: yeezevee on April 05, 2011, 10:18 PM
That sound like Sophistry to me.. Oops I mean Sufistory ..

Thats genius actually

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