TrollMan Posted January 3, 2012 Report Share Posted January 3, 2012 Is it another way of talking about IQ? Socially intelligent? Most people who decide to improve this "power" adhere to puzzles, learning new things, and self-improvement. But to what extent are we going to do this? To the limit of our dopamine rushes? Till we realize that are intelligences are greater than others? In other words, why are you so dedicated to improving your brain? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flamebirde Posted January 4, 2012 Report Share Posted January 4, 2012 (edited) Because we want to feel good about ourselves, in such a manner that we feel superior. In order to do this, we must improve upon are ablilties, both physical and mental. We all strive to be better, to be stronger, then everything else. I mean, look at our scientific name. Homo sapiens. "Thinking man." We say that as if nothing else thinks. we want to be better, to have something to be proud of. We are fools, destroying the planet, poisoning the very air we breathe, sometimes killing millions for dictatorship. I have seen tallies of those lost in WWII, but not the countless trees and animals murdered to supply the war effort. In a nutshell, we do this to absolve ourselves of blame, and to feel good. EDIT: Sorry if this makes anybody feel bad, that was not and hopefully never will be my intention. And, sorry if this makes no sense. Edited January 4, 2012 by flamebirde Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrollMan Posted January 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2012 Interesting response, yet surely the killing of masses via dictatorship might have eased up the issue of overpopulation today. I mean, heck, we're dont have the necessary cognitive tools to solving such complex issues like that! Thank you for your post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flamebirde Posted January 4, 2012 Report Share Posted January 4, 2012 Yes, but if we mindlessly killed people left and right to prevent overpopulation, then it would be counterproductive. The reason overpopulation is such a big issue, is because the Earth can't support everyone. Also, this is because the cost of living( to the earth) is too high per person. The whole idea of overpopulation is that our expectation in life is that it will be comfortable. But I digress from all of this arguing obscure points. Oh, and thank you for posting such an awesome topic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 4, 2012 Report Share Posted January 4, 2012 I have seen tallies of those lost in WWII, but not the countless trees and animals murdered to supply the war effort. What, nobody was keeping track, even with all the wartime rationing? It's a good thing that none of those tallies were made... imagine how many would have to be murdered for their paper! The trees keep their own records. I think I will leave this topic alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EDM Posted January 11, 2012 Report Share Posted January 11, 2012 I think higher brain power is just another way of expressing the way we tend to everyday situations...to be honest, this is a very opinionated question with many answers...an academician believes it to be the ability to study or excel in academics, an artistic person may believe in the creativity of it, an athletic person may see it as strategic knowledge levels, a religious person may believe it to be divine, etc. But I believe in this: A disabled person may believe it to be the ability to function normally...this is the truest answer...the ability to function in everyday life in everyday situations with more ease than other organisms, or as we strangely call them, 'lower life forms'...that, itself, is to be the reason we can call ourselves a species of 'higher brain power'.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hidden G Posted January 11, 2012 Report Share Posted January 11, 2012 well ,i think that we are human ,we must do something to "improve" our way of living to build something for the future generation so they can have a better life (like making wars and killing each other,that's why they did to us and they are still doing it ) ,if we don't want to evolve than we are not different from animals, and each person choose a way to develop himself ,some physically ,some mentally ,it depend on each one's ability and what he likes . But FB pointed at an important fact that some "human being"(if u want to call them that) are using these powers ,their own capacities, for their own benefits ,which is still destroying our planet ,all of this due to the narcissism of the human kind . yes i might have gone off topic but what i want to say is : i'd like to use my abilities to help putting an end for these problems ,and many share the same opinion ,but few of us will have the power to change as we will always be blocked by some who fool the people saying they know the best and all they want is to fill their pockets . i hope i made my point and i think that i've gotten too deep in this . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Molly Mae Posted January 11, 2012 Report Share Posted January 11, 2012 well ,i think that we are human ,we must do something to "improve" our way of living to build something for the future generation so they can have a better life (like making wars and killing each other,that's why they did to us and they are still doing it ) ,if we don't want to evolve than we are not different from animals, and each person choose a way to develop himself ,some physically ,some mentally ,it depend on each one's ability and what he likes . But FB pointed at an important fact that some "human being"(if u want to call them that) are using these powers ,their own capacities, for their own benefits ,which is still destroying our planet ,all of this due to the narcissism of the human kind . yes i might have gone off topic but what i want to say is : i'd like to use my abilities to help putting an end for these problems ,and many share the same opinion ,but few of us will have the power to change as we will always be blocked by some who fool the people saying they know the best and all they want is to fill their pockets . i hope i made my point and i think that i've gotten too deep in this . I might be jaded, but if people are so easily manipulated, why not take advantage of them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flamebirde Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 (edited) Simply because it would be morally wrong. would you go on a mass murdering spree just because you could? Would you build a tiny prison for a squirrel, starving it out, just because you could? Would you Sink 10 giant oil tankers just because you could? DISCLAIMER: This post was not meant to hurt, harm, or otherwise insult any entity, person, or group. Edited January 13, 2012 by flamebirde Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Molly Mae Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 DISCLAIMER: I don't really care about the feelings of thin-skinned people. If you get offended, go cry. While this post isn't intended to offend, I won't lose sleep if it does. Simply because it would be morally wrong. would you go on a mass murdering spree just because you could? Would you build a tiny prison for a squirrel, starving it out, just because you could? Would you Sink 10 giant oil tankers just because you could? I most certainly would not do any of those things "because it is morally wrong." But I might do them in spite of them being morally wrong, given the right circumstances. I could almost assure you, however, that I would never do all three at the same time. You want to talk about my real meaning, though? Take a house cat. You don't own a house cat. A house cat owns you. Seriously. You take care of it, feed it, clean its litter box. You pet it, play with it. If the cat wants to cuddle, she'll cuddle. If the cat wants to jump on the counters and refrigerator, she'll do that. She's taking advantage of you in the most literal sense of the phrase, but if asked point blank most people would say that a cat is a lower life form. Why? Because cats don't think and reason using complex rationale? Because cats don't slave away night and day working two jobs while getting a degree? Cats don't worry or stress on an hourly basis. They don't wake up late and freak out. Cats are the highest life form because they've found a way to survive (and have a pretty high quality of life) while doing very little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hidden G Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 well don't raise a cat ,i say . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Molly Mae Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 well don't raise a cat ,i say . You don't raise cats. They raise you. =P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hidden G Posted January 14, 2012 Report Share Posted January 14, 2012 You don't raise cats. They raise you. =P i didn't say that i don't raise cats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itachi-san Posted January 15, 2012 Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 You want to talk about my real meaning, though? Take a house cat. You don't own a house cat. A house cat owns you. Seriously. You take care of it, feed it, clean its litter box. You pet it, play with it. If the cat wants to cuddle, she'll cuddle. If the cat wants to jump on the counters and refrigerator, she'll do that. She's taking advantage of you in the most literal sense of the phrase, but if asked point blank most people would say that a cat is a lower life form. Why? Because cats don't think and reason using complex rationale? Because cats don't slave away night and day working two jobs while getting a degree? Cats don't worry or stress on an hourly basis. They don't wake up late and freak out. Cats are the highest life form because they've found a way to survive (and have a pretty high quality of life) while doing very little. I'm not sure what your point is. you're assuming all cats have a pampering owner who chooses to do all that for the cat and allows the cat to do all these things. there are plenty of cats that don't have these luxuries and live their lives similar to a raccoon. even if we assume all cats live this way, it's not the cat's mental prowess that establishes and maintains this lifestyle. it's entirely contingent on the human and just luck on the cat's part really Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissKitten Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 The whole higher brain power thing...... I honestly believe that it's just a way for humans to push themselves. Flame makes a good point, and I see where he's coming from, but I agree more with Li. I think that wanting to improve your brain power is just a way to challenge yourself, to make yourself fell like you're accomplishing something. I know that when I turn to the riddles here, or mafia on MM, etc, I'm doing it because I want to increase my brain capacity, and improve my ability to think. I go into these things saying, "okay, I want to, someday, be as great as shakee in riddles, or mo in mafia, or Blake in debate." I don't go into it saying, "I'm improving my brain power so I can feel better about myself." I can see how people might do that it makes sense, but personally, I think that the most fundamental reason we try and improve our mental capacities is to just push ourselves, and see how far we can go. Like Li said, people with disabilities think "higher brain power" is just being normal, while for "normal" people, "higher brain power" is being smarter or something. And though it seems to be opinionated at first glance, you see one thing in common: the "higher brain power" that we all strive for is the next level up, a goal that we want to reach. Sorry if that doesn't make sense to anyone, I was just kinds putting my thoughts down as they came. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 17, 2012 Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 Pushing yourself is, I think, a choice and a personality trait. Personally I don't buy into the idea of any species or individual being "higher" than another, application of a linear scale is absurd since it's all a matter of taste. Molly Mae has suggested that if A can exploit B then A is "higher" than B. There are many people who consider gaining at others' expense to be a measure of success, especially if they have avoided work and made no contribution in the process. But parasitic people generally lack happiness in their lives, partly because they ignore their own moral drives, and mainly because any relationships they form with other people can only be dysfunctional. We are social animals, which is why people who seek success through exploitation tend to be failures personally as well as making no contribution. Hidden G suggests that the "higher" path is through social responsibility and working together to improve the world. Making moral choices is something you could consider "higher brain power", on the basis that if enough people did so it would be a path to humankind achieving its potential, freed from the shackles of petty egotism, or maybe it's just an end in itself. As for mental training, you can take that in any number of directions, through puzzles, acquisition of knowledge, linguistics, mnemonics, creativity, physical skills, meditation, debate, social skills, observation, specialised skills, and any number of other disciplines. Or you could simply be yourself. Who's to say one thing is "higher" than another? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flamebirde Posted May 4, 2012 Report Share Posted May 4, 2012 The way I figure it, this all boils down to what the definition of higher brain power is. Is brain power intellectual in nature? Physical in nature? Emotional in nature? All of these require some form of thinking, and because of that I figure that they all use brain power. For instance, you have to think (Even if you're on a subconscious level) in order to move your arm. You have to think why you should be angry. And of course, you have to think (however little) of the answer to a puzzle. So, therefore everything you do from eating to running to being angry to solving for x if x= 4x4+24is using your brainpower. And whichever of those is making you think more, is the one using the more brain power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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