Among humans, the term intelligence is a characteristic used to describe the cognitive ability of individuals. Intelligence can be explained as the mental ability to reason, solve problems and learn (1). According to the book Riveted: The Science of Why Jokes Make Us Laugh, Movies Make Us Cry, and Religion Makes Us Feel One with the Universe by Dr. Jim Davies, humans have, in many ways, dominated this planet primarily by outsmarting human beings. other species. This article will examine three theories that seek to explain how humans became the most intelligent species on earth, building on Dr. Davies' lecture on social cognition and the evolution of intelligence. These theories are as follows: group living theory, hunting theory, and hand/walk upright theory. Through examining these three theories, it will be evident that humanity, as outlined in Riveted, has outsmarted other species and that this has directly led to planetary domination. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayAccording to group living theory, humans became intelligent to think about others. Unlike other primates, humans differ in terms of their social environment and communication. For example, to understand the relationship between two people, such as a friend and his spouse, one would need to keep track of all the details of his family and friends. This requires a tremendous amount of mental power as those who cannot understand and successfully manipulate social bonds would most likely be exploited, outmaneuvered and outmaneuvered by those who could. Therefore, humans have evolved to have greater intelligence/intellectual ability to keep track of everyone around them and to build and maintain social relationships. To have successful social connections you need to be able to communicate effectively. This is why language is prevalent in the human population because without language there is no adequate communication and without communication learning could only occur through direct personal experiences or observations of others. For example, learning about the dangers of entering certain enemy territory is more costly to learn through trial and error since the student has a high probability of dying. However, with language, a single individual is able to share information with more than one person. Therefore, having a smarter brain results in a social cognitive arms race, which allows humans to develop cognitive abilities for greater social control (2). In hunting theory, it is stated that humans became intelligent due to the processes of hunting prey. Carnivores are much more intelligent than herbivores. The elusive nature of hunting requires mental strength as a carnivore must track, stalk and capture its prey. In the case of the rabbit, however, the vegetation isn't going anywhere. Furthermore, meat is highly nutritious and contributes to brain development. The hunting theory also supports the group living theory because obtaining large prey allows for easy socialization. For example, if you go out and hunt a large wild bull that can feed several people, then that individual is able to communicate and socialize with its neighbors to share food with them. This creates social cohesion between groups which naturally increases the group's chances of survival. By sharing resources, such as food, a greater community developsstrong and the pressures for survival are distributed within the group in such a way that no single individual takes sole responsibility for his or her own survival. Ultimately, this increases the efficiency of the group through the specialization of skills such as hunting, communication and socialization. Through specialization of the skills required for hunting, primarily communication and socialization, individuals have become more intelligent. Hand/upright walking theory suggests that upright walking allowed humans to use their hands for various functions, thus utilizing more of their brain. Since hands are no longer used for walking because humans are bipedal, hands have become useful for carrying objects, allowing them to generate complex objects with parts from various geographic areas. Therefore, having hands allowed humans to control them better. For example; a dog that does not have an upright walking posture does not use its hands to carry things, so it does not need to use much of its intelligence to coordinate its hands for various functions. For this reason their four-legged limbs are developed for running. In addition to the hands, the upright posture also causes the pelvis to be small. The reason childbirth is painful and dangerous for humans compared to other primates is due to the tension between the larger head and the small pelvis. Evolutionarily, having a small pelvis is very advantageous for women because larger pelvises have proven difficult for running. To cope and adapt to a small channel, evolutionary human babies are born with skulls in pieces. This is why human babies have soft spots on their heads as the bones fuse after birth. So how does the brain develop without it getting bigger? This is because humans have evolved to have a generic learning system. Humans are a relatively atrocious species in the sense that they are born with little knowledge but the ability to learn by experiencing the world. In the book Riveted, evolutionary scholars Peter Richerson and Rob Boyd argue that humans have the largest brains but are the slowest to develop. For this reason, humans must learn to survive and need parental guidance and nurturing. Therefore, humans adapt to the world they are born into, created by other people's changes, which results in a positive feedback loop. This means that humans are intelligent because they make changes to the environment and children learn from this environment and make changes both physically and culturally on their own. Please note: this is just an example. Get a customized document from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay In conclusion, the reason why humans are intelligent is explained by theories about group living, hunting, and walking upright. These theories are related and support each other. For example, being bipedal allows the human pelvis to be small. At the same time, this allows humans to use their hands more freely. The ability to use your hands to create weapons or tools is very useful for hunting and so on. Ultimately, it is clear that humans are physically unimpressive in terms of overall strength, speed, and endurance compared to other animals that have evolved to specialize in these areas. However, in the case of intelligence, humanity is certainly the dominant species. Works Cited Davies, J. (2014). Riveted: The science of why jokes make us laugh, movies make us cry, and religion makes us feel at one with the universe. Macmillan.Davies, J.. (1991)..