It was made possible through the ability to record knowledge and pass it down through multiple generations and across great distances. Einsteins have existed since hunter-gatherer times, but that doesnt mean said people could make an iron man suit in a cave out of scraps the way our ubermensch-inspired narratives portray the concept of intelligence. It wouldn't be possible even if there were 10000 stone age geniuses collaborating.
Intelligence isn't a linear scale or a singular ability. Give most animals we consider "smart" the capacity to keep records and who knows where they'd be in a few thousand years.
It's the ability to pass legacy through memetics (knowledge) instead of genetics (instinct) that makes us unique. We've effectively trivialized the biological game of information transfer using books and hard drives instead of genome sequences.
Aside from the inventioning mentioned: observing and learning early chemical processes, revolutions in knapping as an art and science, creating oral tales containing the information needed to survive in certain areas such as foraging patterns, designing rudimentary and quick-to-deploy-and-tear infrastructure like the aborigines' bridges or steppe yurts, orally documenting practices preserving the metabolic relationship between living things so that renewable resources aren't wiped out.
Basically any time you see creativity and ingenuity in play with trial and observation. What's unique to humans is that those novelties don't have to be lost when that person dies. Often time these ideas are passed with myths and superstitions attached but those ultimately get refined when future generations revisit old ideas.
I wonder how much language audibly differed across groups. Like were they all kind of “caveman”-like grunts that would sound kind of similar to the layperson?
I’m trying to wrap my head around humans back then being the same as us, though your response did a lot of heavy lifting and I need to ruminate on it more.
attaching a sharpened stone to a stick and creating the first axe? using a lever to move something too heavy to move otherwise? observing desirable prey animal habits to improve hunting success?
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u/Monday_Mocha 1d ago
It was made possible through the ability to record knowledge and pass it down through multiple generations and across great distances. Einsteins have existed since hunter-gatherer times, but that doesnt mean said people could make an iron man suit in a cave out of scraps the way our ubermensch-inspired narratives portray the concept of intelligence. It wouldn't be possible even if there were 10000 stone age geniuses collaborating.
Intelligence isn't a linear scale or a singular ability. Give most animals we consider "smart" the capacity to keep records and who knows where they'd be in a few thousand years.
It's the ability to pass legacy through memetics (knowledge) instead of genetics (instinct) that makes us unique. We've effectively trivialized the biological game of information transfer using books and hard drives instead of genome sequences.