The Great Cognitive Advance
The Great Cognitive Advance On a per capita basis, the highly intelligent became ten times more numerous in England between 1000 and 1850. Written by Peter Frost. DNA from human remains is showing us how different populations have evolved over time, not only during prehistory but also well into recorded history. This evolution has affected a wide range of mental and behavioral traits: cognitive ability, time preference, propensity for violence, monotony avoidance, rule following and empathy, among others. Such traits vary among human populations because different cultures have imposed different demands on mind and body. In general, a culture will favour those who can better exploit its possibilities, just as the natural environment does. There has thus been a process of coevolution: we make culture, and it remakes us—by selecting those among us who survive and pass on their genes. This coevolution has followed different trajectories in different times and places. One trajectory b...