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From: kent@xanth.UUCP (Kent Paul Dolan)
Newsgroups: sci.bio
Subject: Re: Why are Humans as Smart as They Are?
Message-ID: <2172@xanth.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 18-Aug-87 18:17:22 EDT
Article-I.D.: xanth.2172
Posted: Tue Aug 18 18:17:22 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 21-Aug-87 06:41:10 EDT
References: <1041@ttidca.TTI.COM> <2851@phri.UUCP>
Reply-To: kent@xanth.UUCP (Kent Paul Dolan)
Organization: Old Dominion University, Norfolk Va.
Lines: 58
Keywords: high foreheads
Summary: Driven by the concept of beauty?

In article <2851@phri.UUCP> lewando@phri.UUCP (Mark Lewandoski) writes:
>In article <1041@ttidca.TTI.COM>, jackson@ttidca.TTI.COM (Dick Jackson) writes:
>> [question bearing on the effect of culture on intelligence omitted]
>  [answer noting that culture _preceeds_ our present level of intelligence
>  omitted, except for:]
>SO this pivot of his thesis is this: the ability to use culture (ie
>useful information passed on in symbols, signs and signals) was a
>selective force in the evolution of the human brain and nervous system.


Independent of this discussion, this question came to mind a couple of
weeks ago, in response to a comment by a new Chinese (girl)friend I've
met.  It may be apropos of nothing at all, but it helps me answer the
mystery of why the Chinese graduate students corner the market on A's
in computer science.  ;-)

We were looking at a picture she had of a Chinese actress, and she
mentioned that the woman was unattractive because "her forehead looks
narrow" (the picture showed a young woman, in costume, with her hair
combed down so that it left only an inverted "v" of forehead showing.)
We continued the discussion for clarification, and she finally gave me
to understand that her (_the_ ?) Chinese ideal of beauty includes a
wide, clear forehead.

The question that came instantly to my mind (but not lips, I'm
_trying_ to make a good impression on this rather desireable young
woman) was:  wouldn't self selection for high, clear foreheads, i.e.,
probably enlarged cranial capacity, be an excellent way to bias toward
the reproduction of the more intelligent members of a race/species?

It seems that there is every chance that a standard of "(s)he is
successful, therefore attractive, therefore beautiful, therefore
desireable as a mate", spread through a culture which could amplify
and maintain it, would fairly rapidly select for the outward
manifestation of increased intelligence (typically, in human
evolution, high foreheads).

Is this a reasonable explanatory mechanism for the rapid development
not only of enough intelligence to give us the edge in interspecies
competition, but also overshoot to an entirely unnecessary capability
for deeply abstract reasoning?

I compare to the cultures whose fertility goddesses all had
exceptionally wide hips.  If this became the standard of beauty, the
culture would self select for easier childbirth, and therefore out
compete the next tribe down the valley in terms of successful
reproduction.  Again, this requires a culture of artifacts and shared
ideas to perpetuate _quickly_, although peacocks, for example, show
that a standard of attractiveness can be eventually selected by
non-cultural evolution also.

Comments welcome.  I claim _no_ expertise in biology, bits and bytes
are my game, so you probably won't hurt my feelings much even with a
flame.  (Flames about racist/sexist artifacts of this article are
unwelcome; I know what I said, and I just used the examples that came
readily to hand.  Nothing derogatory intended.)

Kent, the man from xanth.