Becoming Human Purpose: to re-evaluate recent advances in in th - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Becoming Human –

Purpose: to re-evaluate recent advances in in th the sciences, and develop a new model for th the appearance of f fu full ll humanity consistent with th theological concerns

Da David id L.

• L. Wilc

ilcox Professor Emerit itus Eas astern Univ iversity dwil ilcox@eastern.edu

Making Adam

Could the Image of God have been produced by Natural Selection?

Da David id L.

• L. Wilc

ilcox Professor emerit itus Eas astern Univ iversity dwil ilcox@eastern.edu

But first a word on …Natural Selection?! Is this talk going to be “NeoDarwinian”? Well, that label produces Obscurity!! Typically – in making assumptions about the world-view of the other guy… Natural Selection and Mutation are simply processes of nature. As such, they are under God’s providence - under His sustaining (conservatio), accompanying (concursus) and directive (gubernatio) hand. Therefore these processes cannot be viewed as an alternative theory to creation - without making a prior assumption of materialism. I am not making such an assumption. The fact that others DO frequently make such assumptions in seeking to explain the origin of Humanness does not mean that I agree with them. Nuff said…

Imago Dei

Language?? Rule Righteousness Relationship Reason Responsibility

God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our

• likeness. And let

them have dominion over … all the earth…

• Gen. 1: 26

So, What makes Humanity unique?? And, can that be observed by Science??

(Making spirit requires spirit – but mostly what gets argued about are

• ur observable

characteristics).

Oh Really? We animals can show some pretty amazing abilities in many of those areas!!

Primary versus Secondary Cognition – Concrete perceptions versus abstracted patterns Shared with animals - versus unique to humans.

Technical Reasoning Cognitive Leaps Numerical Systems Mapping Shared Intentionality Theory of Mind Generative Language Episodic Memory Behavior of Objects Some Tool skills Counting Numbers Placement in Space Diagnosis of Agents Social Evaluation Communication Specialized Memory

So what makes Humanity different??

Secondary Consciousness - Controlled Contextual Focus

(Edelman, Gabora)

Recursive Language & Thought

(Hauser, Suddendorf)

Ultra/ prosociality - (Hill) Cooperation is Preferred Social Learning   Cumulative Culture

So what makes Humanity different??

Expanded (10X) Neuropil Expanded Association Areas - Neural Reentry Extended Developmental Plasticity Loss of Modularity – Long Tracts - Synesthesia Expanded Complexity of Genetic Controls – TE’s

Neural Differences

Modern Neural Uniqueness

Developmentally Unique:

(1) Modern human unique rapid ‘globularization- phase’ cerebellar growth – before teeth erupt - parietal & cerebellar enlargement- rounded skull shape (Gunz, 2012) (2) Slowed modern development - data from dental growth lines (Smith, 2010) 75% of adult brain size @: Chimp, 9 mo., Neanderthal, 17 mo., Modern, 30 mo. (3) Extended neural plasticity (delayed synaptic maturation) – adolescence neural long tract formation (Dennis, 2013)

So what makes Humanity different??

Neural functioning - product of both genetic potentials and cultural instruction Dual high quality ‘inheritance’ systems - genetic & cultural Positive Feedback between the two systems –> runaway prosocial selection Unique process of evolution

Implications

• Neanderthal origins are clearly

separate from 430K BP (Re: Cave

• f Bones)
• LCA for Moderns & Neanderthals

estimated at 500K BP

• Spotty modern morphology &

slow development - North & East Africa – by 200K BP

What was the timing of the change toward modern humans?

Skeletal Evidence

Gunz 2009 – Early (300K – 200K) populations diverse, divided and dispersed -Omo I & II, Herto, Guombe, Florisbad, Eliye Springs, Ngaloba, Singa, Jebel Irhoud, Bodo, Iwo Eleru

 Seeking Evidence from Paleo-archeology  Spotty advancements in technology & symbols in Africa - 300k? 150k? (BP)  Levalloisian flint knapping – ½ million BP at Kathu Pan 1 (Africa)  Projectile points, hearths, meat sharing – 280k BP, Gademotta, Quesem  Silicate heat treating, mastic, microliths, 165 BP – Pyramid Point, South Africa  Shell beads, 120,000 BP, Levant, Sahara  Neanderthal tech – later & debated – derived or original?

What was the timing of the change toward modern humans?

First systematic use of Coastal Resources – fynbos vegetation and shell fish – Refrigia during previous glacial maxima (Riss) – climate caused global African population collapse / local coastal consolidation Development of complex material processing (silicate, mastic) – small blades (composite tools) Typical coastal social developments resemble agricultural groups  reduced mobility, larger group size, population packing, smaller territories, complex technologies, more gifting and exchange, increased economic and social differentiation, boundary defense & group conflict (selection for altruism)

Pyramid Point, South Africa – 165K BP (Curtis Marean, 2007)

What was the timing of the change toward modern humans?

• African origin, long term (Ne) effective human population of 10,000+,

current tribal isolation established before 100,000 BP – multiple studies

• Blum & Jakobsson (2011) argue for a probable bottleneck - 150,000 BP –

during the previous glacial maximum (Riss) – and maybe earlier – based

• n the recent LCA of the mtDNA & Y Ch.
• Emigration from Africa 60,000 BCE – or perhaps somewhat earlier – so

unique human qualities set earlier

• Archaic interbreeding did happen to emigrating population – but with low

fertility or post-reproductive isolation – little significant impact

What was the timing of the change toward modern humans?

A Model for Modern Human Formation

• Increased Genetic Variability and Social Selective Regime (300K)
• Stress released extra-high level of alteration and duplication of

control elements at active genes (by HERKV’s, ALUs, for instance)

• Environmental pressures requiring increased coordination in

hunting and provisioning offspring  effective communication

• Hence, a sustained neuro-genetic selection regime for sociability

Tomacello’s three stage model of the evolution of shared intentionality

• 1. Individual Intentionality – competition & intentional communication
• 2. Joint Intentionality – dual-level collaboration & cooperative communication
• 3. Collective Intentionality – group-minded culture & conventional communicaton

Reinforcement – “The Evolving Apprentice” – (Sterelny)

• High impact of language based thought

and designed / directed instruction 

• Enhanced cultural retention,

transmission and accumulation -- producing an increased ‘band width’

• f information flow.
• This in turn would alter selection

pressures on the genome – changing it from genome -> neuro -> culture to culture -> neuro -> genome

A Model for Modern Human Formation

Task decomposition, ordered skill acquisition, well-chosen exemplars, expert structured and supervised learning

• Increased parallel processing of

information leads to increased threshold effects

• Both increased stability (stasis)

and more rapid alteration of state (culture) at change points.

• Expected effects – the spotty

appearance and retention of new technologies – as observed

• Rapid significant changes – by

increased positive feedback and altered stable states.

A Model for Modern Human Formation

• Implications – The gradual genetic

accumulation for the modern prosocial brain was driven by selection

• The nature of the system will allow

sudden functional changes in human society triggered by altered conditions / higher innovation / social impact.

• This produces altered selective

regimes which can rapidly lock in new adaptive complexes & absorb outlying population isolates.

• Such socio-genetic fixation will be

enhanced by the isolation provided by tribal barriers.

A Model for Modern Human Formation

Oh Adam, , Adam, What have you done?

• The gradual selective accumulation of human potential was stabilized functionally

by the increasingly intensive cultural programming of adolescent neural rewiring.

• Note the environmental and social crisis point at Riss glacial maxima -> localized

population under pressure – push to change / mature. (social & genetic effects)

• Possible interactive divine acculturation could be proposed at this point to shape

the cultural resolution – but if so, it went awry.

A Model for Modern Human Formation