nwr writes:
My point is that intelligence is mainly a social adaptation. We use our intelligence most importantly for social interactions. That our intelligence is greater than that of other social species, is related to the complexity of our social interactions being greater than with other social species.
Sure, we also use intelligence to explore space, design aircraft, etc. But our ability to use intelligence in that way is mainly a side effect of a social adaptation.
Hi, nwr. The above analysis seems circular: aren't our social interactions more complex in large part because of our intelligence?
Our social adaptations and intelligence are surely intimately linked, but are you suggesting that social adaptation alone drove the evolution of our intelligence?
Please note the question marks--they are genuine.