| From: | The Smiling Bandit <ygershon@*******.EDU> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Smaller Brains |
| Date: | Fri, 3 Jun 1994 14:36:59 -0700 |
pervert.. er.. enlighten. Yeah, that's it! <GRIN>
As far as smaller brains go, the Homo Sapiens brain is actually smaller
in size than some of its recent ancestors. And certainly no one would
claim that our ancestors had an average superior intelligence (compared
to ours). The actual criterion for judging the maximum complexity of
neural networks (natural or artificial, I've worked with both) is number
of elements (i.e. neurons) and number of connections.
If you decrease the number of neurons it is still possible to increase
the limit of complexity by increasing the number of connections
appropriately. Of course, with a system as complex as the human brain,
who knows what changes in intelligence occur as mass changes and as
connectivity changes.
The short version of all this is: it doesn't matter if trolls and orks
have smaller brains. Their average intelligence would be unaffected. The
fact that they do receive a racial modifier to INT suggests another
cause.
-The Smiling Bandit <Strikes again!/Ha-Ha-Ha>
+--------------------------------------------------+
:::::| Yoav Gershon | "Wide angle watcher |:::::
:::::| ygershon@*******.edu | on life's ancient tales" |:::::
+--------------------------------------------------+
