Why were cavemen so stupid?

Question

Homo erectuses had a million of years to better themselves, but they did little more than paint on walls and gather berries. Look at all man has accomplished today in such a short amount of time.
Anyone find it odd that man magically became geniuses overnight?
I smell conspiracy.

I'm no cave man, person who answered first. The home erectuses were a whole different species of human. I forget what we're called, but its NOT that (lol, that would be really embarrasing if we were). Such a funny name...

Answer 1

The neanderthals were not completely human. At that time, they were still considered to be 'ape men' or 'monkeys'. Their brains were not fully developed yet. Researchers have discovered that they developed many 'complicated' tools. However, the problem they had was mostly in their cerebrum where their memory is stored. If they created something useful to themselves, it was hard for them to remember how they created it.

Answer 2

What is your definition of "cavemen"? Homo erectus? Neanderthals? Cro-Magnons?

Remember, civilization as we know it is the accumulation of thousands of years of accomplishments and innovations. Now, it's fairly easy for someone to combine 18 different existing processes or concepts or techniques or gadgets and come up with a new invention, but when all you have to work with is fire, flint, bone, and sinew, your options are rather more limited.

Also, as has been pointed out, most advances are a result of having leisure time to tinker around with stuff. It wasn't until early man had transitioned into settled agricultural societies that writing was invented, which is completely critical for the retention and transmission of ideas. And in good years, people then had a little more time on their hands to fiddle around and invent pottery and bronze tools and irrigation and so forth.

Note as well that your classic "cavemen" didn't necessarily have the option of deciding to become farmers, because this wasn't really feasible in most areas until after the Ice Age.

Answer 3

Read the bible the conspiracy is, is that someone didn't teach you that the world is only about 10,000 yrs old. not even close to millions, and there was no such thing as cavemen, hello Adam and Eve, not excatly cavemen. Pick up a copy from any store, and then your little conspiracy theory will be shot down.

Answer 4

If you were dropped in a temperate or tropical forest with no clothing, what would you do? Do you know what plants you can eat? Can you hunt? With what? Can you make a fire with your bare hands? Will you make a spear? How? What will you use to cut your first pole for the spear?

It's easy for you to sit on the pinnacle of 100,000 years of technology and infrastructure development and poke fun at those who started at the bottom. It's a lot different when you've had that advantage removed.

As far as becoming genius overnight, the evolutionary innovation that led to language opened up capabilities that we still haven't exploited to their fullest.

Answer 5

Imagine what homo erectus think of 21st century humans. Atrophied in body. Lacking in skills. Unable to survive without machines. Dependant on factory farms to eat. Confined to living in wooden boxes and fenced into urban sized lots - if they're fortunate enough to have one. Forever at war with nature and with each other. Subject to the whims of governments and tax collectors and lawyers. Unable to amuse themselves without televisions and radios and electronic gizmos.

I think homo erectus would be horrified. And they'd probably shake their heads and ask themselves "How did homo sapiens get to be so bloody stupid?"

Answer 6

If you had to dedicate your entire life to surviving, you wouldn't have much time to expand your knowledge, would you?

You don't have to hunt your own food. You don't have to risk losing half your family to nature. You don't have to move when resources become low.

The fact is, they made good what they could, but they had too much on their hands just trying to make it.

It wasn't until things became more structured and organized and man learned how to conquer nature that they were able to concentrate on higher things.

Answer 7

1. There brains were not as developed as modern man's. Our braisn developed over millions of years.

2. They thought in a totally different context to us. They did not seek the answers, they were like animals, they lived to survive: hunting and farming etc.

Answer 8

Not stupid , busy surviving. You mentioned painting on walls. Doesn't that mean they invented paint. Invented the knife the spear and spear tips and clothing. They were busy setting the foundation for civilization.


I hate conspiracy theories !!

Answer 9

At this rate, in about 100 years they will be asking themselves why we were so stupid.
We have had long enough, why is it that all we do is sit in front of TVs and computers and get fat?
Evolution, man. We've hit a plateau.

Answer 10

I don't think you paid full attention in history class, cavemen invented fire as a means to cook food, tools to build things, crude sign language later adopted by native Americans who improved it, and the wheel just to name a few. They were far from stupid given they didn't have electricity, radio, television or computers. READ honey READ!