Interesting, but probably misleading. The evidence over the past 2,500 years--admittedly a very short sample--is that man is devolving, not evolving--in terms of brain power.
Compare the tendency to produce the higher levels of genius, today, in any population group, with Sir Francis Galton's example of the population of Attica about 2400 years ago, where 90,000 produced a dozen men who throughout all history since, have remained at or near the top in their respective disciplines. Or contrast even the top 25% of the voting population of America today, with those who were persuaded to ratify the Constitution, by reading the scholarly disertations in the Federalist Papers, to witness the dumbing down of our own population.
William Flax Return Of The Gods Web Site
"The evidence over the past 2,500 years--admittedly a very short sample--is that man is devolving, not evolving--in terms of brain power."
Yes, the article is referring to changes that go back many more thousands of years.
"Compare the tendency to produce the higher levels of genius, today, in any population group, with Sir Francis Galton's example of the population of Attica about 2400 years ago, where 90,000 produced a dozen men who throughout all history since, have remained at or near the top in their respective disciplines. Or contrast even the top 25% of the voting population of America today, with those who were persuaded to ratify the Constitution, by reading the scholarly disertations in the Federalist Papers, to witness the dumbing down of our own population. " Interesting. But don't those examples still appear to suggest more of a culturally-driven phenomenon?
It seems we'll always see ups and downs in the # and expression of great minds, depending on the circumstances in which men live.