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