And what do I find? Some creo troll banging on about creation in a science forum.
In a 'science forum' with a title like "Evolution versus Creation", that's going to happen.
I've often pondered alternatives to the woefully inadequate way our (U.S.) educational system is structured. One such daydream features a return to the old one-room school house -- but with a twist: much emphasis would be placed on having more advanced students assume responsibility for teaching less advanced ones. If you
really wanted to see some sweat on them, split them up into groups, and make it a competition for the highest
group score.
I tend to think of a forum like this as sort of a virtual one-room schoolhouse. One thing that's interesting though, is that (unlike schoolchildren) those with the most to learn often seem to be both the least
able to learn, and the most eager to
teach.
While it's rather easy to address this as a defect of character, it may be that this tendency is a feature of the architecture of the brain. After all, when it comes time to dole out reproductive success, what matters most is not how much knowledge one has, but how much knowledge others
think one has. Assessing that is largely an intuitive process, and points are awarded for
confidence. I have known several schizophrenics in my time, the most memorable of which had a view of the world which he could describe in such rich detail, and with such complete confidence, that I occasionally found myself considering the possibility that
my view was the delusional one. Under the right circumstances, an individual like that might gain a following, and go on to enjoy the increased mating opportunities that accompany that.
In other words, beyond a certain point, neural plasticity (or we could call it "teachability") might cease to confer an advantage -- beyond a certain point, the most favorable strategy might be to further reinforce whatever connections are associated with the most consistent winner of competition between cognitive sub-modules...
...and then go out there and
sell it.