DaveFoster
Member
Check this out if you haven't, but I'm sure you have.Thanks a lot for that explanation Dave.
I agree that one's interaction with the environment can have an effect on intelligence. From being exposed to ideas, to proper nutrition at key development times, to avoidance of substance abuse, etc. But I think this is akin to how a lot of environmental factors led Michael Jordan to develop his basketball skill. There's a genetic component (height, eyesight, muscle tissue, etc.) that determined how great a basketball player he could be.
I really dislike the "Peat would argue the opposite I believe: he would offer that intelligence is an ingrained function of a cell" line of reasoning. Where is the evidence for this? How is a cell intelligent? How can we test it? I worry that it may be the case of using a word in a way that doesn't mean what people usually mean when the use the word.
Is matter intelligent? Or cells? I'd like for matter to be intelligent, but I don't see any evidence for it and it just seems like wishful thinking. How are atoms following natural laws intelligent?
I've read your last paragraph a few times and it seems to me we're saying the same thing. Genetics largely shapes the architecture of the brain(or a probability distribution of potential brains that environment factors can skew) and the architecture governs potential the same way Michael Jordan's genetics governed his potential greatness as an nba player.
Intelligence and metabolism
By matter being intelligent, I mean atoms will spontaneously form biological structures in the right environment.
Miller–Urey experiment - Wikipedia
The Miller-Urey experiment is more helpful as it segways into abiogenesis. Basically, biology is not a fluke; it's an extension of an innate process. In other words, the cell reflects the organizational capacity and tendency of the atom.
Even Organisms Without Neurons Are Capable Of Intelligence And Learning