RE: Brain Size

John E. Rylander (rylander@prolexia.com)
Wed, 4 Sep 1996 23:51:07 -0500

I too wonder about the accuracy of this 10% figure. Sounds to me like =
some pop psychology blather, frankly, or some gross oversimplification. =
(I can imagine someone claiming that we only use 10% of our muscle =
capability, e.g.; the claim could be at once in some particular sense =
accurate but also generally misleading.)

----------
From: Glenn Morton[SMTP:GRMorton@gnn.com]
Sent: Wednesday, September 04, 1996 3:42 PM
To: glenn.dixon@telops.gte.com; evolution@Calvin.EDU
Subject: Re: Brain Size

Glenn wrote:

>I have always heard that we humans use approximately 5 - 10% of our =
brain=20
>capacity, on average. I have a couple of questions regarding that:
>
>1) Is this accurate? If not, what *is* the average?
>
>2) If accurate, how is it that we evolved a brain with a capacity 90%=20
>higher than we actually use? If not accurate,
>but still significantly lower than 100%, I believe this second question =
is=20
>still valid.
>
>
Let me place this view in another perspective. If mankind can get along =
with=20
only 10% of this brain power, why would we say that Homo erectus is =
unable to=20
be human when he has 5 times the capacity in his brain as we are =
apparently=20
able to use?

glenn
Foundation,Fall and Flood
http://members.gnn.com/GRMorton/dmd.htm