Intrinsic negative feedback as a limiting factor for the evolution of higher forms of intelligence
Type
ArticleAuthors
Arold, Stefan T.
KAUST Department
Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) DivisionBioscience Program
Computational Bioscience Research Center (CBRC)
Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering (CEMSE) Division
Structural Biology and Engineering
Date
2020-01-23Permanent link to this record
http://hdl.handle.net/10754/661145
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Longstanding scientific efforts have been dedicated to answer why and how our particular intelligence is generated by our brain but not by the brain of other species. However, surprisingly little effort has been made to ask why no other species ever developed an intelligence similar to ours. Here, I explore this question based on genetic and paleontologic evidence. Contrary to the established view, this review suggests that the developmental hurdles alone are not high enough to explain the uniqueness of human intelligence (HI). As an additional explanation I propose that HI is normally not retained by natural selection, because it is, under most conditions, an intrinsically unfavourable trait. This unfavourableness, however, cannot be explained by physical constraints alone; rather, it may also be rooted in the same emotional and social complexity that is necessary for the development of HI. Thus, a major obstacle towards HI may not be solely the development of the required physical assets, but also to cope with harmful individual, social and environmental feedback intrinsically associated with this trait.Citation
Arold, S. T. (2020). Intrinsic negative feedback as a limiting factor for the evolution of higher forms of intelligence. F1000Research, 9, 34. doi:10.12688/f1000research.22039.1Sponsors
I thank all colleagues and anonymous reviewers who have contributed to this manuscript through stimulating discussions, and by providing comments and counterarguments. I thank KAUST Research Support Services for editorial assistance (Virginia. A. Unkefer) and for figure design and preparation (Ivan Gromicho).Publisher
F1000 Research LtdJournal
F1000ResearchAdditional Links
https://f1000research.com/articles/9-34/v1https://f1000research.com/articles/9-34/v1/pdf
ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.12688/f1000research.22039.1
Scopus Count
Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.