If evolution is a slow process, why is there such a difference between the most intelligent and secondmost one

Question

We humans are most intelligent. Chimps/orangutangs are next. But evolution is slow and steady. ideally the next intelligent creature should be marginally less intelligent than humans. Why is it not.

Answer 1

evolution. hmmm, lets see, NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 2

I think you have some misconceptions. First, evolution is not necessarily a slow process. Often, based on the generally accepted theory of punctuated equilibrium, animals evolve rapidly to adapt to a particular niche but once evolved, they generally do not evolve anymore or only slowly. Evolution is therefore not steady at all. When environments change, evolution can be quite rapid. You say that the difference between us and the second most intelligent animal is great yet Neanderthals were apparently nearly as intelligent as us but that branch of hominids died out. Even forgetting that last point, Chimps, believed to be the next closest animal to us in intelligence are in fact also our closest relative.

Answer 3

Because humans did not evolve from chimps or orangutans, we evolved from a common ancestor some 2-3 million years ago.

humans have been around for only 150 000 to 200 000 years or so, chimps and orangutans for a couple of million.

Our intellignce is what most humans define (somewhat egotistically) as our principal feature. But there are many other traits that also distinguish us from other great apes, and these differences have been around for along time. Things like our posture, our digestive and sexual systems, and our vocal apparatus and hairlessness.

As the previous Neaderthal reference pointed out, our closest evolutionary cousins died out, only those primate cousins whose habitats did not overlap ours were lucky enough to survive to the modern age. Primitive humans were unlikely to tolerate any near humans who were not bright enough to compete, and these were exterminated or simply out-competed for resources.

Consider also how much difference there is in the intelligence of the most brilliant humans and the retarded.

Retarded humans are not much brighter than chimps.

The fact that our species shows such a range is interesting.

You do not see that much of a range in lower primates. I suspect that this range is as much a recent human evolved trait as higher intelligence itself is.

There is no certainty that the highest possible intelligence is the key to reproductive and therefore evolutionary success.

Answer 4

Who says that humans are that intelligent? Certainly people who subscribe to religion are not!

As for the divergence between chimps and humans, they branched apart a long time ago. If you want to compare humans to "the next most intelligent" species, there's the now-extinct Neanderthals. How does a Biblical creationist even explain their existence?

Answer 5

We didn't evolve from any creatures you can see today It's not a steady straight line where a new smarter animal comes after the next. It is a complex web of evolutionary diversity changing over time. We do share a common ancestor with the great apes but we evolved completely separate we are cousins, not dissidents.

Answer 6

the belief of evolution is in hindsight. each and every little thing could be made to extra wholesome the findings. whether the findings do no longer tournament up some clarification could be contrived. it truly is uncomplicated. what's confusing is demonstrating the mechanism by which evolution happens. what's spoke of interior the lab. does not help the belief in any appreciate. Creationist do no longer declare to appreciate creation.....HOW God created, basically that He created. It replaced right into a guided technique, no longer a random occurrence. Random occurrences can not produced eyes, ears and nostril.....What for? Do random occurrences 'understand' that we could see, pay attention and scent? How? Please clarify that to me.

Answer 7

It's a slow process, but it's only had billions of years to work. Under that amount of time, there is going to be very large differences from species to species. Also, thousands of years ago, we weren't that much more intelligent. It was our ability to make shelter and cook food (mostly eating bone marrow) that allowed us to rapidly develop a large brain.

Answer 8

I think it may have something to do with how we learn exponentially. The more we know, the more we can learn. Exercising your brain makes it stronger.

Answer 9

Because of the environment.