Why are you not an octopus ?

Why are you not an octopus?
Andre Willers
29 Jun 2011

"Less is more"

Synopsis :
A bony endoskeleton enforced a limitation on the degrees of freedom of movement . This freed up neurons for central utilization of mirror neurons . Ie culture .

Discussion :
Octopi evolved long before mammals and dinosaurs .
Having no endo or ecto skeleton , every movement had to be controlled , using up huge neural resources .
Present octopi have about 500 million neurons (about dog size) , but a whopping 60% of that is used for control of the tentacles and body .
This is because they had no bones . Every cm of movement had to be controlled .

A further about 32% is used for control of the visual , and optic and photo-mimic cells This leaves about 8% for the brain (a central cartiligeous bound organ) for central direction .
(Source: NewScientist 11 Jun 2011 p39)

We would expect them to have had mirror neurons based in the 32% visual , and optic and photo-mimic cells .
But with such a small neural reserve left after necessities of muscular control , culture did not develop .

And that is why you are not an octopus .

The Ape Conjecture :
A mutation resulting in tailless monkeys (ie apes) freed up the neurons that controlled the tail-tentacle . These were colonised by mirror-neurons , resulting in Culture .

Note taildocking or tailcontrol in domesticating animals .
This would seem to have a neurological basis . The phenotype for domestication involves an erect and nearly immobile tail , only moving in response to mirror-neuron excitation .

In the domestication of silver foxes this took only 8 generations . Presumably , with the ape-ancestors of humans , it would have been equally as fast .

Human body language :
It is amusing to note that shifting weight from one foot to another is interpreted by some very deep levels of neurons as a tail-wagging , meaning "I can see your viewpoint . I am not unfriendly" . Hence , at cocktail parties everybody is standing and circulating .
Or soldiers stand at attention , signifying disregard of the other party's interests .

The evolutionary trap of skulls .
As octopi were trapped by the necessity of limb control , bony animals were trapped by the necessity of protecting the central brain . The skull . This limited the number of neurons .
Monkeys traded their tails for extra ape-mirror neurons to kickstart language and culture . The Data-processing went outside the skull into the culture .

The Culture trap .
Also known as the 150 person or Family trap . The maximum number of people you could afford to care about .
This has been the basis of recorded history . Dynasties , families ,etc .

But the ceiling has been broken .
This has been tried (and done) before in communities like monasteries . They had vertical integration , but lacked long-range , horizontal integration .
This is why Facebook is so important , and expanded so fast .
It will be superseded and replaced . Twitter already has to a certain extent .

It does not matter .
The ceiling has been broken .
There is no going back .
New patterns will replace the old ones if humans survive .

"Dem bones , dem bones"
Andre