RE: The wee people

-----Original Message-----
From: jack syme [mailto:drsyme@cablespeed.com]
Sent: Saturday, October 30, 2004 8:48 PM
To: Glenn Morton; asa@calvin.edu
Subject: Re: The wee people

"The brain mass for LB1, calculated from its volume26, is 433.2 g; this
gives an encephalization quotient (EQ) range of 2.5-4.6, which compares
with 5.8-8.1 for H. sapiens, "
 
But as you said, this EQ is lower than that of dolphins.
 
If you look at dolphin brains vs human, you will notice that the dolphin
has enlargements in the temporal-parietal areas, where human brains have
enlargements in frontal areas. This seems clear that the dolphin brain
is enlarged in this area for echolocution, which is localized in the
temporal-parietal areas. And the frontal lobes are for, for the lack of
a better term, forsight.
 
So, are we going to localize spirituality to frontal lobes?
[Glenn Morton]
No. The only reason one would localize spirituality is if one thinks it
is an epiphenomenon. Where am I miscommunicating. I believe that
spirituality is beyond the physical. If it isn't, then religion is
worthless. Dolphins show no signs of spirituality and I see no reason to
think they have it.
 
 
>From what you sited the EQ of LB1 is less than dolphins. So is the fact
that they (the wee people) act like us merely because their
encephalization is more frontal and dolphin encephalization is temporal?
If the LB1 brains have a EQ that is less than dolphins, why cant we
consider them "fancy animals"?
[Glenn Morton] I have absolutely no doubt that some people will consider
them fancy animals. I think the only reason not to consider them fancy
animals is due to spirituality coming from outside of materialistic
causes. So, if spirituality is merely an epiphenomenon, I see little
reason to treat them differently than a fancy animal.
 
I am not sure what your point is here or what your disagreement with my
position is. I believe that spirituality is more than an epiphenomenon.
If I am wrong, all sorts of views will change accordingly.
 
I am not sure that comparing this to children that have had a
hemispherectomy is valid. In that procedure they are not removing the
sub-tentorial stuctures that are responsible for autonomic function and
the like. The reason that encephalization quotient is a valid concept
is that there are brain functions that are basic, that require larger
brains for larger bodies, that part of the brain remains in these
procedures.
[Glenn Morton]
It is valid because they remove something like 500-700 cc of brain.
Encephalization is not what structures are there, it is the brain mass
divided by the body mass. Those who have half a brain removed, have a
smaller number in the numerator. Or do you disagree that that is what
encephalization is? I can point you to references for a definition if
you want.
Received on Sat Oct 30 22:01:14 2004