Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!ucbvax!ucsd!nprdc!bickel From: bickel@nprdc.arpa (Steven Bickel) Newsgroups: comp.ai Subject: Re: Thought/Emotion/Feeling Message-ID: <1152@arctic.nprdc.arpa> Date: 9 Dec 88 22:52:09 GMT References: <569@epicb.UUCP> <1146@arctic.nprdc.arpa> <1857@cadre.dsl.PITTSBURGH.EDU> Sender: news@nprdc.arpa Reply-To: bickel@nprdc.arpa (Steven Bickel) Organization: Navy Personnel R&D Center, San Diego Lines: 28 In article <1857@cadre.dsl.PITTSBURGH.EDU> geb@cadre.dsl.pittsburgh.edu (Gordon E. Banks) writes: >In article <1146@arctic.nprdc.arpa> bickel@nprdc.arpa (Steven Bickel) writes: >> >> From what I have read concerning evolutionary development of >> cognition: intelligence developed because humans discovered that >> forms of farming were far more productive and life sustaining >> than gathering. Farming required more thought and therefore >> increases in thought were supported as an evolutionary trend. > >I doubt that agriculture is anywhere near as old as human intelligence. >Were the Neanderthals agricultural? They certainly were very intelligent, >and even had religion. Hunting also requires intelligence, and many >of the most intelligent animals are carnivores and hunters. Good point. I later realized that the concept of farming that I was referring to was one where cognitive processing with significant association to "long term" memory is required. This is opposed to gathering which is to interract with what you see. These concepts are normally considered to be agricultural in nature, but I was referring to them in the broader sense. Also I am referring to intelligence to be the very same processes that allow references to past events. This I believe is a relatively recent ( in the last 10 thousand years) evolutionary development. Disclaimer: I do not know what long term memory is, only when it is needed. Steve Bickel