A challenge for the atheists.....?

Question

Unfortuantely, I can not elaborate too much on my question, but let me give you a glimpse. Suppose evolution was true; change does occur among species over time. Please explain to me why only monkeys, out of all the animals that evolved in the planets, developed the ability to think rationally. Why couldn't reptiles that evolved from millions of years ago develop the capacity for rationality? Please, explain!

Answer 1

I once saw a remarkable show about bats, who of course identify their prey with sonar, ever increasing the pulses of sound as they get closer to the point that they have a 3 dimensional image of sound depicting the object of their attack. With great skill the technicians showed a video reproduction of the bat's sonar image and the sounds it was making. One of the bats favorite prey was a particular insect who, upon hearing the sonar of the bat, made a screeching sound so effective that it scribbled out the image on the video screen as a child would with a crayon, rendering the bat blind once again, and then folded its wings going into free fall, dropping below the last known location the bat was aiming for. The bat missed his prey and everyone who witnessed this got very quiet for a while. All the scientists were stunned realizing that the insect had just met all the criteria for thought and reason in this behavior, for it had seen the problem, understood the bats tactic, figured out an intelligent response and then carried it out! The more we grow to understand the world we live in, the more we have to reexamine our long held erroneous conclusions about nature and those we share the planet with. If even the "lowly" insect can think and reason, we have a great deal of reexamining to do.

Answer 2

There's no need to 'suppose' evolution is true...it is.

In order for an organism (whether its plant or animal) to survive in nature, its neccesary for that creature to evolve. Every species on the planet has survived by adapting, on a genetic level, to suit its needs in its natural environment.

Nature attempts to find a balance, theoretically. If predators exist, there must also be prey. All of the differences that you see between species are a result of that particular species need for survival. Due to this need primates developed opposable thumbs (to allow for the use of tools), and more advanced brains (to allow them to make tools...even a pointed stick is a tool). As the other creatures in nature evolved, so to did primates. Depending on what the conditions that they needed to adapt to, certain species brains evolved, allowing them to hunt/gather under varying conditions. This process continued (among all species) until one began developing the ability for rational, complex thought (rational is an abstract term...everything that can reason, even on a primitive level is rationalizing to some degree). It allowed them to find shelter, better food, etc.

Reptiles rose to the top of their food chain, through similar circumstances (dinosaurs). Higher thought processes weren't required by those particular animals, because the need was not there. Seeing as how they were wiped out, not by 'natural selection' alone, but also by events not natural to their environment (meteors for instance), there is no telling how they would have developed, with more time.

Answer 3

We didn't evolve from monkeys. Monkeys are not particularly rational.

The reason other species haven't evolved intellectually to the same degree as humans is that it isn't necessary for their survival. They can survive and reproduce without increased intelligence, so organisms with high genetic intelligence are not significantly more successful.
Also many species have very small heads, which does not allow them to have large brains. For these animals, a smaller head is a greater advantage than intelligence, since it makes a smaller target for predators, allows them to move through small spaces, etc.
And some other species are capable of rational thought.

Answer 4

does our own abilities to only think the way other humans think mean that reptiles cannot think "rationally".

what we preceive is rational thought is not neccesarily an indication that other species cannot THINK in this manner, or that we as humans acknowledge it when it does happen.

Proof of animals having "rational thought"
the Lionness chasing the weaker gazelle b/c it's an easier kill vs the "stronger" gazelle b/c it looks meatier an dmight taste better.

While I personally dont know what that lionness is thinking or if it's even able to determine the difference, I do understand that a; I'm hungry and b: so are my cubs, and the conclusion to go after the weakling is a "logical" conclusion that leads to food in the bellies of me and my mates...


Hrm, that's almost a testament to human nature. We as a strong predator only go AFTER the weaker of the species..
but after all, does'nt evolution show that "only the strong survive?"

Answer 5

Evolution is not a ladder that all species are trying to climb in order to reach intelligence. It is a bush, that grows in all directions, with each species filling the environmental niche that it is in as more efficiently. Reptiles don't need abstract thinking ability to be very successful in their niches.

All mammals have brains that are similar to reptile brains, with one big difference: the mammalian neocortex. This is the outermost layer of the brain, and in humans it completely wraps the brain. In other mammals the neocortex is smaller, and in particular other mammals have less frontal neocortex, which is the center of abstract thought in humans.

Note that its quite likely we will find that the genetic mutation that caused humans to have a large neocortex was a relatively simple one. Our neocortex isn't fundamentally different than the neocortex in other mammals, there is just more of it. The mutation that cause more neocortex to grow might have been a relatively minor change, but one that bestowed a huge advantage in abstract thinking and the ability to plan and predict consequences.

Answer 6

All life on Earth evolved from a single life form millions of years ago it has always been the survival of the fittest. Man Just evolved separate from reptiles eons ago. The only accounting for why reptiles didn't evolve intelligence of of man is they didn't need it to survive. No more than an oak tree needed the intelligence of a snake to survive. Whereas man could not survive with either the intelligence of a snake or an oak tree. A snake had to have snake intelligence because it could not survive with the intelligence of an oak tree.

Answer 7

Simple answer. It has to do with their environment. All of the other creatures were able to adapt to their environments without the need for a much larger brain to function with. Most animals have not changed fundamentaly within the past million years or so because they reached a form of equilibrium with their surroundings. These creatures don't need to adapt any more than they already have. Monkeys, apes, and several other forms of mammals had to get smarter to survive. So there you go.

Answer 8

Monkeys have tails. We are not monkeys, although we may have had a common ancestor.

My cat does not act irrationally, so I would assume that she thinks rationally.

Man is the only animal on the planet capable of complex reasoning. As a man, I do not find it reasonable to explain why something that didn't happen didn't happen, even if it could have.

Answer 9

I'm not an evolutionist, but I can assume the answer is that they just didn't develop those brain faculties. Why can't a fish swim? Why can't a plant fly? It is just the way evolution happened. It is like a tree. One species branches out, then from that one two separate ones branch out.

Answer 10

rofl. How do you know that other animals haven't evolved the ability to think rationally? Do you speak any of the animal language? Yeah, I thought not. You know what they say about assumptions don't you?