When Did We Become Smart?
About 70,000 years ago...
We begin our study of Sapiens by looking at the Cognitive Revolution. Today’s post is meant to provide a broad overview and timeline. This way you’ll have the landscape all the more interesting ideas land on.
Without further ado, let’s jump in…
The Cognitive Revolution
The Cognitive Revolution was a pivotal transformation 70,000 years ago in the history of our species, Homo Sapiens. This revolution marked the point at which Homo sapiens began to develop complex forms of communication and cognition that were unprecedented in the animal kingdom.
Emergence of Complex Language: This wasn't just about a larger vocabulary, but rather the ability to convey abstract concepts, tell stories, and share information about things that were not immediately present. This language leap enabled humans to cooperate in larger groups and share knowledge across generations.
Formation of Myths and Beliefs: With complex language came the ability to form and communicate shared myths, beliefs, and ideologies. This is crucial because it allowed large groups of humans to cooperate and coordinate in ways that were previously impossible. Shared beliefs in gods, nations, and economic systems are examples of the imagined realities that played a key role in building societies.
Enhanced Social Structures and Cooperation: The Cognitive Revolution facilitated the development of more complex social structures. Humans began to organize themselves in sophisticated ways, forming larger, more stable communities that could work together for common goals.
Humans Before the Cognitive Revolution
Before delving into life in the Cognitive Revolution, it's important to understand who we were. Hominins are members of the human family tree more closely related to humans than to chimpanzees and bonobos. They include all the species that have arisen since our lineage split from that of the chimpanzees, our closest living relatives. Here’s a list of a few hominins in history:
Australopithecus (approx. 4 million to 2 million years ago): These were among the earliest hominins and are known for their bipedalism (walking on two legs).
Homo erectus (approx. 2 million to 140,000 years ago): This species is known for its prolonged existence and was the first to use fire and more complex tools.
Neanderthals (approx. 400,000 to 40,000 years ago): They coexisted with Homo sapiens for some time and were known for their robust build and large brains. They made sophisticated tools and even showed evidence of cultural practices.
Homo sapiens (emerged around 300,000 years ago): Our own species, characterized by a larger brain and more sophisticated tools and art.
Timeline of the Cognitive Revolution:
~300,000 years ago: Emergence of Homo sapiens in Africa.
~70,000 years ago: The Cognitive Revolution begins. This period marks the start of significant advancements in human cognition and language.
~50,000 - 40,000 years ago: Homo sapiens begin to spread out of Africa, encountering and often displacing other hominin species like Neanderthals and Denisovans.
~30,000 years ago: Evidence of artistic expression, such as cave paintings and carvings, becomes more widespread, indicating advanced cognitive abilities and symbolic thinking.
~12,000 years ago: The Agricultural Revolution begins, which is closely tied to the cognitive advancements made during the Cognitive Revolution. This shift to agriculture marks the beginning of more sedentary human societies and the eventual rise of civilizations.
Now that you have a basic understanding of the Cognitive Revolution, each of the next four days, we’ll be diving deep into specific aspects of the revolution. If you feel unclear about some of the information in today’s post, please reply with a question, but also don’t be alarmed. This is only a broad overview. We will be answering lots of questions in the articles over the coming days.
Question of The Day
Did you know that at a time, there were other human species living alongside us (sapiens), such as Neanderthals, and Denisovans?
That’s like how dogs have different breeds… so did we!
Your Friend,
Noah “BigNerd” Sochaczevski