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…

God said, “ Let us So, What makes Imago Dei make man in our Humanity unique?? image, after our likeness. And let Reason them have dominion over … Relationship all the earth… Gen. 1: 26 Rule Righteousness (Making spirit requires spirit – but mostly what gets Responsibility argued about are And, can that our observable be observed characteristics). Language ?? by Science??

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

Secondary Consciousness - So what makes Controlled Contextual Focus Humanity different?? (Edelman, Gabora) Recursive Language & Thought (Hauser, Suddendorf) Ultra/ prosociality - (Hill) Cooperation is Preferred Social Learning   Cumulative Culture

Expanded (10X) Neuropil So what makes Expanded Association Areas - Humanity different?? Neural Reentry Neural Differences Extended Developmental Plasticity Loss of Modularity – Long Tracts - Synesthesia Expanded Complexity of Genetic Controls – TE’s

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)

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

Skeletal Evidence What was the timing of the change toward modern humans? Gunz 2009 – Early (300K – 200K) populations diverse, divided and dispersed -Omo I & II, Herto, Guombe, Florisbad, Eliye Springs,  Neanderthal origins are clearly Ngaloba, Singa, Jebel Irhoud, Bodo, Iwo Eleru separate from 430K BP (Re: Cave of 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?  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 Pyramid Point, South Africa – 165K BP change toward modern humans? (Curtis Marean, 2007) 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)

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 on 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

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

A Model for Modern Human Formation Reinforcement – “The Evolving Apprentice” – (Sterelny) Task decomposition, ordered • High impact of language based thought skill acquisition, well-chosen and designed / directed instruction  exemplars, expert structured and supervised learning • Enhanced cultural retention, transmission and accumulation -- producing an increased ‘band width’ of 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 • 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 • 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. Oh Adam, , Adam, What have you done?