Diet of fruit causing our massive brain expansion

[Ya know]

Hey, I stumbled across these videos the other day. What do you guys think?

He's claiming that our brain development is due to a symbiotic relationship between human and plant. We co evolved in the forest which led to our brain expansion. However, as we left to the Savannah we lost our main source of nutrients, which has forced us to operate primarily left brained, causing us to become neurotic, fearful over generations. Ties in with Eckhart Tolles discussion of ego and insanity. 

[Carl-Richard]

Wasn't it due to meat?

[Flowerfaeiry]

Nah. It's not fruit or meat. It's something else. I think a combination of things, most possibly the fact that we began cooking our food. It's pretty hard to say exactly what though.

[Carl-Richard]

@Flowerfaeiry I also don't think things like this can be the deciding factor of what makes something healthy, atleast in general. I had some kind of insight years ago about biological evolution that just stuck with me: factors that promote fitness (survival and reproductive success) do not automatically promote longevity. Traits that are beneficial early in life and detrimental later in life are therefore likely to be passed on. Therefore, to assume that for instance meat is healthy (promotes longevity) because it made our brains grow isn't a valid argument. Your genes are a result of reproductive pressures, so appealing to evolution for dietary guidance is in many cases not beneficial if you care about longevity.

Edited April 6, 2020 by Carl-Richard

[Flowerfaeiry]

9 hours ago, Carl-Richard said:

@Flowerfaeiry I also don't think things like this can be the deciding factor of what makes something healthy, atleast in general. I had some kind of insight years ago about biological evolution that just stuck with me: factors that promote fitness (survival and reproductive success) do not automatically promote longevity. Traits that are beneficial early in life and detrimental later in life are therefore likely to be passed on. Therefore, to assume that for instance meat is healthy (promotes longevity) because it made our brains grow isn't a valid argument. Your genes are a result of reproductive pressures, so appealing to evolution for dietary guidance is in many cases not beneficial if you care about longevity.

Absolutely. I think it's silly to have this fantastical idea of what we used to eat and then try and replicate it for health. I'm pretty sure it doesn't work the way we think it does in our heads like that. 

[Red-White-Light]

@Carl-Richard I think it was due to our ability to cook meat with fire and the extra calories allowed us to grow bigger brains. 

[PlayTheGame]

Meat & cooking food is definitely a part of it.

[Michael569]

It was not naturally the food per see but the methods of adaptations. Eating meat had a lot to do with it but it was the hominid needing to learn to hunt, to track the pray to observe its behaviour to come up with strategies for separating the weak animals, creating tools, adapting new shelters etc. It wasn't the fruit and it wasn't the meat necessarily, it was the entire evolution, the change in climate and the constant need to adapt. If there was a thread from a neighbouring tribe, defence strategies would have to be considered, people would sleep in shifts, there was always someone guarding the fire. 

Reductionism such as saying fruit grew our brains is usually missing the large picture.