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Charming-Coconut-234 OP t1_j0v7fxg wrote

Reply to comment by WaitingForNormal in Will human intelligence fall? by Charming-Coconut-234

It may seem small with the degrees we have but everyone started with learning and memorising a, b, c. And even kids these days have access to technology even before they hit per-school.

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WaitingForNormal t1_j0v8vfo wrote

Yes, I have a kid. They still teach all of that. You are not taking into account the huge capacity that the brain has for learning. People have been using tools to remind them of appointments and making lists for centuries. Maybe you just need to factor in that there have always been smarter and dumber people and there always will be. We are not a collective entity all evolving at once. To use your own example, the fish in your story lived in a cave, that was why they evolved that way, not all fish live in caves, and not all people are limited by technology but use it on top of their already stimulating lives.

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Jai84 t1_j0vhva8 wrote

Furthermore, if there was no reason to have lost the eyes, those cave fish probably would have kept them. It wasn’t use it or lose it, it was just wasted resources on a vulnerability. Since the eyes weren’t necessary to see and they were vulnerable to damage and infection, it was actually safer to not have them. There is no perfect evolution or end goal. You are right to think that evolution can lead to dumber people because intelligence isn’t necessarily the goal of evolution or even the “more evolved” state because there is no real goal for evolution. If we get to a point where our intelligence is a detriment, we might lose it, but I doubt that would be the case considering it can just be utilized in other ways. Also, even with automated systems and AI, you’d think someone would still need to use their brain to utilize or fix these systems.

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CrossXFir3 t1_j0vhs29 wrote

We have to be able to navigate significantly more complicated systems than we did say 100 years ago. People need to be able to identify false from factual information in a way today that we didn't necessarily contend with. Today we all drive, in busier streets, with faster cars. And we aren't all dying constantly. Team games, sports, video games, board games, the lot are more complicated than ever. Do your grandparents complain that things are too simple these days?

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