How Did Humans Get Smart?

Humans can thank evolution for reaching the prestigious title of most intelligent species. Most importantly, they can thank other humans.

Photo by Giammarco on Unsplash

Humans can thank evolution for reaching the prestigious title of most intelligent species. Most importantly, they can thank other humans.

That’s because human intelligence has never improved on its own. Through the ages, humans got smarter not only by observing other humans, but by refuting them, agreeing with them, and reaching their own conclusions based on a number of factors. Those include their upbringing and the situations they’ve encountered throughout their lives.

That’s what the cognitive revolution started studying back in the 1950s. The intellectual movement wanted to learn how individuals’ interpersonal behaviors affect the way they perceive their environment and themselves. Thanks to the cognitive revolution, we’ve learned that those interactions are essential to shape people’s decision-making. 

According to linguist Noam Chomsky, the human brain is wired to receive information such as complex language and maths, as well as store memories and thoughts. Whatever it is you’ve been learning, your brain is ready for it. 

Here’s why all of that is so awesome:

What you hear, what you read, the things you go through...they all shape your future decisions, as well as what you choose to do with the information you receive. Humans are smart, but they can get smarter if they wish. 

Social Learning and Human Interaction are Vital. At Least If You Want to Be Smarter. 

Most of the time, a child’s bad behavior is their parents’ fault. Why? Because that child has based their actions on behaviors they’ve seen and emulated through their education (or a lack thereof). 

Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory studies the role of environmental factors on human learning. In observing other people’s actions and registered thoughts, we learn from the environment we’re inserted in. 

Social networks are a perfect example of this. Take a social highlighter, where different people share their knowledge and gather important passages from like-minded people. That’s a mix of social interaction and content curation -- two things that buttress a solid learning process. With content curation, people filter topics that would otherwise clutter their limited storage space (also known as memory) and make it easier to retain new information. 

Embrace the Knowledge Around You, and Disagree If You Must

The bottom line is: each person responds differently to situations depending on how their brain is wired. That’s why we all have different opinions and beliefs.

That’s not to say people have to agree with everything they learn in order to be smarter. Hadn’t J.J. Thomson learned from John Dalton’s atomic model and modified it based on his knowledge, the electron would’ve never been discovered. We owe what we know about atoms today to scientists disagreeing with one another. And that should happen.

Chemistry jargon aside, humans need different upbringings and experiences to keep the knowledge wheels turning. Besides, humans need to keep looking up to other humans. Again, human intelligence has never improved on its own, and it never will.

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We’re building Glasp to give everyone the power to leave their learnings and experiences throughout their life as a utilitarian legacy for other people and future generations. It’s a mix of social interaction and content curation. If this resonates with you, please check it out!

Cheers,
Kazuki